-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSignal Integrity
If you don’t have signal integrity problems now, you will eventually. This month, our expert contributors share a variety of SI techniques that can help designers avoid ground bounce, crosstalk, parasitic issues, and much more.
Proper Floor Planning
Floor planning decisions can make or break performance, manufacturability, and timelines. This month’s contributors weigh in with their best practices for proper floor planning and specific strategies to get it right.
Showing Some Constraint
A strong design constraint strategy carefully balances a wide range of electrical and manufacturing trade-offs. This month, we explore the key requirements, common challenges, and best practices behind building an effective constraint strategy.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
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.
Testimonial
"In a year when every marketing dollar mattered, I chose to keep I-Connect007 in our 2025 plan. Their commitment to high-quality, insightful content aligns with Koh Young’s values and helps readers navigate a changing industry. "
Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
ASM Technologies Limited signs MoU with the Guidance, Government of Tamilnadu to Expand Design-Led Manufacturing capabilities for ESDM
09/15/2025 | ASM TechnologiesASM Technologies Limited, a pioneer in Design- Led Manufacturing in the semiconductor and automotive industries, announced signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Guidance, Government of Tamilnadu whereby it will invest Rs. 250 crores in the state to expand its ESDM related Design-Led Manufacturing and precision engineering capacity. ASM Technologies will acquire 5 acres of land from the Government of Tamilnadu to set up a state-of-the-art design facility in Tamil Nadu's growing technology manufacturing ecosystem, providing a strong strategic advantage and long-term benefits for ASM.
Variosystems Strengthens North American Presence with Southlake Relaunch 2025
09/15/2025 | VariosystemsVariosystems celebrated the relaunch of its U.S. facility in Southlake, Texas. After months of redesign and reorganization, the opening marked more than just the return to a modernized production site—it was a moment to reconnect with our teams, partners, and the local community.
Deca, Silicon Storage Technology Announce Strategic Collaboration to Enable NVM Chiplet Solutions
09/11/2025 | Microchip Technology Inc.As traditional monolithic chip designs grow in complexity and increase in cost, the interest and adoption of chiplet technology in the semiconductor industry also increases.
I-Connect007 Launches New Podcast Series on Ultra High Density Interconnect (UHDI)
09/10/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is excited to announce the debut of its latest podcast series, which shines a spotlight on one of the most important emerging innovations in electronics manufacturing: Ultra-High-Density Interconnect (UHDI). The series kicks off with Episode One, “Ultra HDI: What does it mean to people? Why would they want it?” Host Nolan Johnson is joined by guest expert John Johnson, Director of Quality and Advanced Technology at American Standard Circuits (ASC).
Global Citizenship: Together for a Perfect PCB Solution
09/10/2025 | Tom Yang -- Column: Global CitizenshipIf there’s one thing we’ve learned in the past few decades of electronics evolution, it’s that no region has a monopoly on excellence. Whether it’s materials science breakthroughs in Europe, manufacturing efficiencies in China, or design innovations in Silicon Valley, the PCB industry thrives on collaboration.