It's been almost six weeks since I put pen to paper to talk about the EDA industry. In that time, Hurricanes Rita, Stan, Wilma, Alpha, and Beta have wreaked their special brand of havoc in and around the tropical waters where they lived and died. Also in that time, a profoundly horrific earthquake killed and maimed tens of thousands in the remote mountains of Kashmir – many of whom still await relief as winter descends there.

Also in these last 40 days, the political landscape in Washington, D.C. has been altered (yet again). As well, the peoples of France have suffered, and continue to suffer, a level of unrest in the streets not seen there in almost 40 years. Meanwhile, the situation in many places in Africa has continued to deteriorate over the last 40 days as wars, famine and AIDS inflict yet more sorrow on numerous, troubled populations.

Is it really possible in the midst of all of this to be exhilarated?

I would say, yes – particularly if you restrict your worldview to the landscape defined by all things EDA. Because, something's happening in this industry and it's good and it's invigorating and it's profound. Somehow over the last few weeks, there's been a shift here in EDA and it's a shift for the better. It's hard to discern exactly what's precipitated it, but it's there nonetheless.

It was there in the earnings reports from Magma and Cadence. The companies are indicating increased revenues and an optimistic view towards the future. It was there at the EDAC Kaufman Awards dinner where the highly respected industry veteran Phil Moorby was honored by his peers. The evening was truly a joyful one.

It was there in major announcements from Synopsys, Mentor, and Cadence across a variety of technical initiatives where the people behind those efforts are clearly committed to their work.

It was evident at the EDA Tech Forum at the Santa Clara Convention Center where fully 1800 people registered to spend the day learning and interfacing with each other about the emerging challenges and opportunities within EDA.

It was there at the Cadence Design Chain Partners Event where managers from EDA and folks from "adjacencies" within the semiconductor world were clearly engaged in the issues of smaller geometries, lower power, and greater opportunities for expanding markets and improved products.

It was at ICCAD where young researchers and seasoned veterans once again combined forces and creative thought processes, during sessions and out in the hallways, to look to the future of the industry and relish the ideas of bigger challenges and larger solutions, optimized viewpoints and idealized organizations.

It was at the ICCAD CADathlon where highly gifted students of design competed head to head and produced winning teams from Michigan and Brazil.

It's in CEDA – the new IEEE Council on EDA – where the hope of furthering the technology, and the people behind the technology, is being focused on refining the coordination and funding across the multiple societies within the IEEE – Antennas & Propagation, Computer, Circuits & Systems, Electron Devices, Microwave Theory & Techniques, and Solid State Circuits – which all have vested interests in the automation of design.

It was at the San Jose Performing Arts Center where Dr. Stephen Hawking sat in front of his adoring fans and addressed the fundamental questions the inform the origins of the universe – questions of design, intelligent or otherwise, that strike deeply at the mindset underlying everything EDA.

And most profoundly, it was evident in the far-ranging discussions and openly sci-fi proposals around everything 'nano' that took place both at ICCAD in Santa Clara and at the annual research review meeting at IMEC in Leuven, Belgium – those things 'nano' which are building astounding bridges from the worlds of physics, materials, computer science and engineering all the way over to the worlds of biology, chemical engineering, organic molecules, and the wildly satisfying manufacturing paradigm characterized by that granddaddy of all concepts – self assembly.

The last 40 days have been quite a ride. Now that I've finally gotten back to putting pen to paper I hope you'll join me over the next 40 days to further explore many of these concepts and ideas that are indeed rejuvenating and reinvigorating the landscape of EDA.

Because, at the risk of overstating, all of these concepts are not so far removed from the death and disaster that opened this essay. Within the promise of the research and development, commoditization and commercialization of EDA tools, and the myriad technologies touched by the EDA industry, there resides the hope that weather systems, seismic systems, health delivery systems – health care itself, both diagnosis and therapy – and even economic systems can be better understood and therefore better managed, through better modeling and better prediction – the science of prescience profoundly enhanced and enriched through the massively improved compute capabilities that result directly from the imagination and energies that infuse the people and output of this industry.

It's not just EDA inside anymore. It's EDA everywhere. I think for the EDA industry, the mojo is back.

********************************