Target Condition: Are Autorouters Friend or Foe?
Fresh PCB Concepts: Assembly Challenges with Micro Components and Standard Solder Mask Practices
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
Cross-domain Design: The Key to Managing Complex Methodologies
September 23, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
For years, Cadence Design Systems has been developing EDA tools that enable the design of ICs and PCBs. Now, as systems continually become more complex, the lines are blurring between these disciplines, and EDA companies are providing designers of PCBs and ICs the ability to understand what’s happening upstream and downstream.
We asked John Park, product management group director for advanced IC packaging at Cadence, to discuss this ongoing convergence of domains, as well as what it all means to designers and design engineers.
Andy Shaughnessy: We’re seeing more technologists pointing out the need for PCB designers to focus on silicon-to-systems. What does that term mean to an EDA company like Cadence?
John Park: We would call this cross-domain co-design. Dealing with the complexity and costs of electronic systems, the over-the-wall approach to design leads to project delays and higher costs. It’s critical that IC designers collaborate with the packaging team and the PCB layout teams to create a fully optimized system at a lower cost. PCB layout designers are now influencing the package pinouts of large BGA/LGA packages. This can lead to better system-level signal quality, better power delivery, and fewer layers required to achieve these performance objectives. This can be especially true for very complex PCB form factors. This means two things: 1) Providing our customers with a common system collaboration and optimization tool across the IC design, package design, and PCB layout; 2) Seamless data exchange between the design tools, including seamless integration from layout to analysis and signoff.
Shaughnessy: What are the most important things that PCB designers need to understand about silicon and packages?
Park: The current trend, driven by size limitations and cost, is to disaggregate huge monolithic ICs into smaller building blocks called chiplets. This shifts much of the complexity from IC design to package design. At the same time, the IC foundries have entered the advanced packaging space with technologies that facilitate higher interconnect density and smaller pin pitches. The industry calls this “multi-chiplet heterogeneous integration” because the individual chiplets can be built from multiple nodes and technologies. As a result, more emphasis is put on multi-chiplet packaging as the platform to create product differentiation.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the September 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
DownStream Acquisition Fits Siemens’ ‘Left-Shift’ Model
06/26/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I recently spoke to DownStream Technologies founder Joe Clark about the company’s acquisition by Siemens. We were later joined by A.J. Incorvaia, Siemens’ senior VP of electronic board systems. Joe discussed how he, Rick Almeida, and Ken Tepper launched the company in the months after 9/11 and how the acquisition came about. A.J. provides some background on the acquisition and explains why the companies’ tools are complementary.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
06/26/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThere's a story about a young woman preparing a holiday ham. Before putting it in the pan, she cuts off the ends. When asked why, she shrugs and says, "That's how my mom always did it." She asks her mother, who gives the same answer. Eventually, the question reaches Grandma, who laughs and says, "Oh, I only cut the ends off because my pan was too small." This story is a powerful analogy for how many PCB designers approach routing today.
Siemens Turbocharges Semiconductor and PCB Design Portfolio with Generative and Agentic AI
06/24/2025 | SiemensAt the 2025 Design Automation Conference, Siemens Digital Industries Software today unveiled its AI-enhanced toolset for the EDA design flow.
Cadence AI Autorouter May Transform the Landscape
06/19/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazinePatrick Davis, product management director with Cadence Design Systems, discusses advancements in autorouting technology, including AI. He emphasizes a holistic approach that enhances placement and power distribution before routing. He points out that younger engineers seem more likely to embrace autorouting, while the veteran designers are still wary of giving up too much control. Will AI help autorouters finally gain industry-wide acceptance?
Beyond Design: The Metamorphosis of the PCB Router
06/18/2025 | Barry Olney -- Column: Beyond DesignThe traditional PCB design process is often time-consuming and labor-intensive. Routing a complex PCB layout can consume up to 30% of a designer’s time, and addressing this issue is not straightforward. We have all encountered this scenario: You spend hours setting the constraints and finally hit the Go button, only to be surprised by the lack of visual appeal and the obvious flaws in the result.