In the information age where IT technology is full of social and economic life, semiconductors have long been no longer a symbol of ordinary people. However, people may still show a strange look when it comes to EDA (Electronic Design Automation), one of the pillars of the semiconductor industry.
As a link between integrated circuit (chip) design and chip production, EDA has a high-end position in the semiconductor industry as a tool methodology. Unfortunately, during a long period of time in China, the EDA industry has been left blank for almost a long period of time. The embarrassing reality of relying entirely on imports has severely constrained the development and progress of the national IT industry.
I do not know why it is called the so-called EDA technology, that is, the chip designer uses the hardware description language VHDL to complete the design file on the EDA software platform, and then the computer automatically completes the logic compilation, reduction, segmentation, synthesis, optimization, layout, wiring, and simulation. Until the specific target chip for adaptive compilation, logic mapping and programming download work. EDA greatly improves the efficiency and operability of circuit design.
Compared with the enormous complexity of the semiconductor industry, which is hundreds of billions of dollars, the EDA industry can not help but be somewhat "simple" and "petty." However, for people in the industry, no one dared to despise and underestimate the weight of the three English letters of EDA.
"As a tool for designing integrated circuits, EDA is a high-end industry with a very high level of integration. It uses the identity of methodological tools to create integrated circuit designs and product production." One of the national "thousand-person plan" experts, Liu Zhihong, chairman of Lun Electronics Technology Co., Ltd., said.
In recent years, with the growth of semiconductor demand and the shift to a new generation of production processes, the EDA industry has been greatly driven. Chinese enterprises have also made considerable progress and progress in the past few years. However, compared with the world’s semiconductor companies currently occupying a dominant position in the market, our country is almost in the original blank space in this field. Regardless of scale or technology, Chinese companies have a gap between one generation and two generations that needs to be chased. Although China has become a major IT manufacturing and manufacturing country, how to achieve a transition from a big manufacturing country to a big design country and eliminate the "knowing it but knowing nothing about it" still has a long way to go.
Learn "instruments" must learn "justice"
For the semiconductor industry, manufacturing, packaging, testing, and design are three of the most technologically advanced aspects. "The industrial chain of China's integrated circuits is gradually being formed, but as the key link in the industry chain, EDA tools currently rely almost entirely on imports." Liu Zhihong pointed out sharply.
As one of the top three companies in the EDA industry and the former global vice president of Cadence Corporation in the United States, more than 10 years of experience in the US research and industry have enabled Liu Zhihong to have a more objective, profound, real and meticulous observation of the current Chinese EDA industry. In his view, most of China's design companies are limited to only a few lower-end product areas, and they are faced with the problem of inability to specialize products and the inability to reduce costs in the high-end product field. The strength and capabilities of supporting supporting systems are closely related.
“China’s EDA software is currently 100% imported, and its design methods and processes have also been plagiarized by others, which severely restricts innovation.†Liu Zhihong said that most companies can only design by using a common platform or by combining different suppliers’ tools. The ability of the entire design process, the efficiency, and the yield of the final product cannot be guaranteed.
"Military, aerospace and other special industries can guarantee the quality of the chip through the use of the best way out of the hundred miles. But for the industries that concern the national economy and the people's livelihood, it is necessary to ensure the rate of finished products," said Liu Zhihong. In particular, it is the key verification step to determine whether the chip is successful or not. The design service model adopted by many companies is difficult to achieve product customization and specificity, and the lack of originality ultimately leads to products without core competitiveness. This is an overall problem in China's IC design industry.
“The traditional reverse design of IP-based circuits cannot reach the forward design efficiency that starts with the transistors. Over time, we cannot form independent intellectual property rights and lack vitality.†Liu Zhihong said, “We can't just stay on the IC card. This kind of 'safe' low level."
The key to making up for the weakness of the industry? So in the EDA field, does China really have no chance? According to industry experts, for the current Chinese EDA industry, investment and talent are the key to making up for the weakness of the industry. The entry threshold of EDA industry is relatively high, and not a huge investment will definitely yield satisfactory results. At the same time, there are extremely stringent requirements for the practitioners' comprehensive level, including device design, physical layer model, software foundation, and so on. China already has some EDA talents, but it is far from enough to support the development of the industry. In terms of talents introduction, there is still a trend toward light industry.
“Our talent introduction is currently concentrated in institutions and research institutes, and lacks the senior management personnel of large and medium-sized foreign companies. Institutional talents focus on results, while industry requires talents to have scientific research and coordination. Management and other complex capabilities. Innovation is not just a patent." Liu Zhihong said.
It is gratifying to note that after years of hard work, China has emerged with powerful companies such as Huada nine days and Allen. At the same time, domestic software talents are maturing. More importantly, the country is continuing to give strong support to the high-tech industries through nuclear special projects.
"The IT industry cannot achieve catch-up all night, but it must have its own things at key points," says Liu Zhihong.
As a link between integrated circuit (chip) design and chip production, EDA has a high-end position in the semiconductor industry as a tool methodology. Unfortunately, during a long period of time in China, the EDA industry has been left blank for almost a long period of time. The embarrassing reality of relying entirely on imports has severely constrained the development and progress of the national IT industry.
I do not know why it is called the so-called EDA technology, that is, the chip designer uses the hardware description language VHDL to complete the design file on the EDA software platform, and then the computer automatically completes the logic compilation, reduction, segmentation, synthesis, optimization, layout, wiring, and simulation. Until the specific target chip for adaptive compilation, logic mapping and programming download work. EDA greatly improves the efficiency and operability of circuit design.
Compared with the enormous complexity of the semiconductor industry, which is hundreds of billions of dollars, the EDA industry can not help but be somewhat "simple" and "petty." However, for people in the industry, no one dared to despise and underestimate the weight of the three English letters of EDA.
"As a tool for designing integrated circuits, EDA is a high-end industry with a very high level of integration. It uses the identity of methodological tools to create integrated circuit designs and product production." One of the national "thousand-person plan" experts, Liu Zhihong, chairman of Lun Electronics Technology Co., Ltd., said.
In recent years, with the growth of semiconductor demand and the shift to a new generation of production processes, the EDA industry has been greatly driven. Chinese enterprises have also made considerable progress and progress in the past few years. However, compared with the world’s semiconductor companies currently occupying a dominant position in the market, our country is almost in the original blank space in this field. Regardless of scale or technology, Chinese companies have a gap between one generation and two generations that needs to be chased. Although China has become a major IT manufacturing and manufacturing country, how to achieve a transition from a big manufacturing country to a big design country and eliminate the "knowing it but knowing nothing about it" still has a long way to go.
Learn "instruments" must learn "justice"
For the semiconductor industry, manufacturing, packaging, testing, and design are three of the most technologically advanced aspects. "The industrial chain of China's integrated circuits is gradually being formed, but as the key link in the industry chain, EDA tools currently rely almost entirely on imports." Liu Zhihong pointed out sharply.
As one of the top three companies in the EDA industry and the former global vice president of Cadence Corporation in the United States, more than 10 years of experience in the US research and industry have enabled Liu Zhihong to have a more objective, profound, real and meticulous observation of the current Chinese EDA industry. In his view, most of China's design companies are limited to only a few lower-end product areas, and they are faced with the problem of inability to specialize products and the inability to reduce costs in the high-end product field. The strength and capabilities of supporting supporting systems are closely related.
“China’s EDA software is currently 100% imported, and its design methods and processes have also been plagiarized by others, which severely restricts innovation.†Liu Zhihong said that most companies can only design by using a common platform or by combining different suppliers’ tools. The ability of the entire design process, the efficiency, and the yield of the final product cannot be guaranteed.
"Military, aerospace and other special industries can guarantee the quality of the chip through the use of the best way out of the hundred miles. But for the industries that concern the national economy and the people's livelihood, it is necessary to ensure the rate of finished products," said Liu Zhihong. In particular, it is the key verification step to determine whether the chip is successful or not. The design service model adopted by many companies is difficult to achieve product customization and specificity, and the lack of originality ultimately leads to products without core competitiveness. This is an overall problem in China's IC design industry.
“The traditional reverse design of IP-based circuits cannot reach the forward design efficiency that starts with the transistors. Over time, we cannot form independent intellectual property rights and lack vitality.†Liu Zhihong said, “We can't just stay on the IC card. This kind of 'safe' low level."
The key to making up for the weakness of the industry? So in the EDA field, does China really have no chance? According to industry experts, for the current Chinese EDA industry, investment and talent are the key to making up for the weakness of the industry. The entry threshold of EDA industry is relatively high, and not a huge investment will definitely yield satisfactory results. At the same time, there are extremely stringent requirements for the practitioners' comprehensive level, including device design, physical layer model, software foundation, and so on. China already has some EDA talents, but it is far from enough to support the development of the industry. In terms of talents introduction, there is still a trend toward light industry.
“Our talent introduction is currently concentrated in institutions and research institutes, and lacks the senior management personnel of large and medium-sized foreign companies. Institutional talents focus on results, while industry requires talents to have scientific research and coordination. Management and other complex capabilities. Innovation is not just a patent." Liu Zhihong said.
It is gratifying to note that after years of hard work, China has emerged with powerful companies such as Huada nine days and Allen. At the same time, domestic software talents are maturing. More importantly, the country is continuing to give strong support to the high-tech industries through nuclear special projects.
"The IT industry cannot achieve catch-up all night, but it must have its own things at key points," says Liu Zhihong.
SOUTH EAST (ASIA) LIMITED , http://www.chheadphone.com