As we move into 2020, artificial intelligence (AI) remains the top technology trend driving the evolution of the EDA space. Last year, venture capital pumped $860 million into AI silicon startups, each of which need state-of-the-art EDA tools to design and deliver next-generation AI ICs. And of course, established IC firms around the globe have for years developed increasingly innovative AI IC designs that push the boundaries of what’s possible with EDA software. To help companies deliver more sophisticated AI processor designs, EDA companies such as Mentor, a Siemens business are doing two things: (1) developing tools to help companies design AI-accelerators faster, and (2) actually leveraging machine learning algorithms to improve their own EDA IC design tools, so they can deliver better results for customers faster. Look for more of this in 2020.
AI technology carries over to another trend to watch in 2020: silicon photonics. Data centers are central to the evolution of AI, due to the need for faster processing within the data center, as well as the need to move that data into and out of data centers more rapidly. Enter silicon photonics, which in 2019 began to emerge from research labs and find its way into more and more commercial deployments. Watch for silicon photonics ICs to make a move into the data center, where their promise of dramatic performance improvement is much needed.
