EDA Consortium Becomes Electronic System Design Alliance

Move Reflects Expanded Scope, New Initiatives

SAN JOSE, CALIF. –– March 31, 2016 –– The EDA Consortium (EDAC) has moved into the future to become the Electronic System Design (ESD) Alliance, an international association of companies providing goods and services throughout the semiconductor design ecosystem.

During a launch event last night, Bob Smith, the ESD Alliance’s executive director, unveiled its new name and mission that broadens EDAC’s charter that was originally created to provide EDA companies with a forum to address cross-industry issues and promote the industry.

“The ESD Alliance reflects the sea change happening in the semiconductor industry as chip design takes a more system-oriented approach,” remarks Lip-Bu Tan, president and CEO of Cadence Design Systems and co-chairman of the ESD Alliance Board of Directors. “With a new identity and expanded mission, the ESD Alliance is well-positioned to embrace and represent the design ecosystem now and in the future.”

Under its expanded charter, the ESD Alliance will deliver a forum for the interests of the integrated circuit (IC) and system design ecosystem, a critical component to the ongoing success of the $360 billion worldwide Semiconductor Industry.

“EDAC was formed in 1989 during the go-go years,” says Smith. “EDA still is mission critical for chip design, but other complementary technologies and solutions are required to drive the design ecosystem. We intend to bring them all together under the ESD Alliance umbrella with an expanded scope of interest for a much broader design community.”

New ESD Alliance initiatives are being formed to address the larger design ecosystem that includes semiconductor intellectual property (IP), embedded software, advanced packaging for system scaling and service companies that provide design know-how and resources. Working groups are being formed in all of these areas to focus on unique challenges and opportunities. They join existing committees dedicated to the ecosystem’s interest in export, interoperability, license management and antipiracy, market statistics and trade shows.

Concludes Smith: “Early reactions to the new ESD Alliance have been positive and enthusiastic. We welcome all members of the IC and system design ecosystem to join us and get involved. The ESD Alliance is ‘Where Electronics Begins.’”

About the Electronic System Design Alliance

The Electronic System Design (ESD) Alliance, an international association of companies providing goods and services throughout the semiconductor design ecosystem, is a forum to address technical, marketing, economic and legislative issues affecting the entire industry. It acts as the central voice to communicate and promote the value of the semiconductor design industry as a vital component of the global electronics industry. For more information about the ESD Alliance, visit http://www.esd-alliance.org