Exploring the Shift Left: How EDA and Semiconductor Development may Shape the Future of Digitalization – Part 3
The Industry Forward Podcast has recently started its second season, which will focus on the concept of “shifting left” with comprehensive digital twin technology. To kick off the new season, Dale and I were joined by Mike Ellow, CEO of Siemens EDA, who brings 30 years of executive sales and technical management experience in Electronic Design Automation (EDA). Dale and I were very excited to welcome Mike to the show, and the conversation certainly did not disappoint.
In part one of the podcast, we got a brief rundown of Electronic Design Automation industry before discussing the move towards software-defined products and systems and how it changes the game for companies across multiple industries. In part two, we uncovered the implications of the software-defined transition, including how it affects semiconductor development and why it seems to be leading more companies towards developing their own silicon instead of relying solely on off-the-shelf chips.
In the final part of our discussion, we dive into how progress in 3D IC development, thermal management, and the industrial metaverse mark a paradigm shift in how semiconductors are designed, optimized, and implemented in real-world applications.
3 Pillars of EDA’s Future
From Mike’s perspective, the future evolution of EDA technology is focused on three pillars:
- Architectural exploration and connected verification threads
- True 3D IC development
- Silicon lifecycle management
The first pillar focuses on architectural exploration in virtual environments where developers can test various configurations with both synthetic and real workloads. Furthermore, connecting the entire system-of-systems ecosystem is critical to ensuring seamless collaboration among semiconductor developers, system integrators, and suppliers. With increasing complexity in system development, EDA tools can help facilitate verification across multiple entities, ensuring compliance with functionality requirements, pricing, and delivery schedules.
Second, traditionally semiconductor development has relied on 2D packaging, where components such as compute and memory modules are placed adjacent to one another. Efforts to integrate different generations of silicon into a single package (heterogenous integration or 3D IC) have been making progress. The industry is now moving toward true 3D IC development, where multiple layers of silicon are stacked to improve efficiency, processing speed, scalability, and chip customization.
To support this transition, EDA and other engineering software tools must evolve to enable comprehensive virtual modeling, verification, and implementation processes for these more complex packages. Combining digital models of various processor and memory cores with thermal and other simulations will allow engineers to simulate real-world operating conditions, ensuring optimal design before manufacturing begins.
Finally, the EDA and semiconductor industries are steadily improving visibility into the operation of devices in real-world conditions. By enabling a feedback loop between devices in the field and software development, companies can understand how software changes and evolution impact semiconductor performance. This helps companies tailor software updates to match the capabilities of deployed assets and supports more accurate forecasting of device performance over time.
The Role of EDA in the Industrial Metaverse
Next, Dale asked Mike how EDA and semiconductor solutions would support or integrate into the Industrial metaverse. Mike first explained how the concept of the industrial metaverse extends beyond factory visualization (often the first thing that is imagined); it encompasses the full-system digital twin, where semiconductor design integrates with software and mechanical components. A well-structured multi-physics approach ensures that engineers can predict scheduling, functionality, and cost before entering the manufacturing stage.
Of course, creating such high-fidelity modeling environments requires powerful semiconductors. Advanced chips will allow businesses to test configurations, run real-world workloads, and optimize designs before physical implementation. As the Industrial Metaverse connects various subsystems and domains, EDA and semiconductor technologies will play a foundational role in the creation of a holistic system-of-systems approach that enhances efficiency and performance.
Semiconductors as the Backbone of Technological Advancement
Throughout our discussion with Mike, it became clear that semiconductors, and EDA by extension, lie at the heart of modern digital systems, and disruptions in their development can ripple across industries and global economies. As companies look ahead to future innovations, integrating semiconductor, software, and mechanical development will be essential. The continued evolution of EDA and semiconductor technology ensures that these complex systems remain optimized, efficient, and scalable in an increasingly interconnected world.
You can listen to all three parts of our discussion over on the Industry Forward Podcast!
Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens’ software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering and manufacturing processes to turn today’s ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Accelerating transformation.
