Low-power design tools—where is the impact? (panel)

Power dissipation is rapidly becoming one of the most significantproblems in IC design, and this in portables as well as ASIC and high-performancemicroprocessor platforms. In recent years, we have witnessedthe emergence of a variety of design methods and design automationtools to keep dissipation within bounds. This might give theimpression that power minimization is a solved issue, both from adesign and a design automation perspective.Unfortunately, the truth is far from that. The next-generation designsare destined to be even more challenging from a power-dissipationperspective and novel solutions will be needed to meet the challenges.This in turn will require innovative EDA tools and methodologies.This panel, composed of designers, CAD managers and EDA manufacturers,addresses the most compelling issues in low-power low-energydesign automation, including what effectively works in thereal-world and what does not. The discussion also focuses on whatbreakthroughs are needed for the next-generation designs.