What’s this about an “alley” on the DAC floor this year? It’s true –– the Design Infrastructure Alley –– is for exhibitors and presenters to highlight the information technology infrastructure, a fundamental element that allows the creation and design of complex electronic systems and components. 
We all hear about the achievements of chip design groups. They wouldn’t be able to work their magic, though, without an army of professionals that make sure that the design environment is optimized for fast turnaround and up and running 24×7. The “army” is made up of IT and design specialists who apply and manage sophisticated hardware and software to keep computing bandwidth, availability, licensing, security and storage in good working order. Without this group and their powerful tools that allow complex systems to be created and designed, new innovation would never happen.
The Design Infrastructure Alley is the brainchild of Derek Magill, senior manager of IT at Qualcomm, and the ESD Alliance’s Paul Cohen and me. Derek also is chair of CELUG (Centralized Enterprise License User’s Group) that provides enterprise user input to the ESD Alliance’s license management committee. Together with DAC, we invite companies that are part of this vital and expanding area of electronic product design to participate and exhibit in the Design Infrastructure Alley.
