PCB Designers of the Future—and Their Software Tools

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The PCB designers of tomorrow have their work cut out for them. They’ll be dealing with the continuing drive for “faster, smaller, cheaper,” while electronics become more complex. But EDA companies have improved their software tools’ capabilities over the past few years, incorporating functionalities such as AI and increasing productivity.

I asked David Wiens, product marketing manager at Siemens, to share his thoughts on the continuing evolution of PCB design and PCB designers, and how EDA software companies can help designers meet the technological requirements of tomorrow.

Andy Shaughnessy: At Siemens, I imagine you have a “profile” of your typical user. How do you see this user’s job and job requirements evolving over the next few years?

David Wiens: There is no single user persona. The larger the company, the greater the diversity of specializations/personas (e.g., design engineer, layout designer, SI specialist, manufacturing specialist, system architect, librarian, etc.). The smaller the company, the more those specializations merge (engineers in smaller teams become generalists). This stratification by engineering team size has always been there. What’s evolved over time is the roles these specialists perform.

Design engineers have had to learn about signal integrity and associated simulation tools; they’re participating more in the layout process to implement tighter performance requirements; they’ve had to learn about stack-up design; and they must consider supply chain risks when selecting components. Layout designers have had to learn about manufacturability and constraints for signal/power/thermal performance. They’ve also had to collaborate much more closely with their mechanical counterparts to achieve shrinking form factors. This evolution has meant that engineers and designers have had to work across multiple tools to get their jobs done efficiently, rather than spending all day, every day in the same tool.

To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the January 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.