CS Gravitas

It's hard to imagine greater evidence of a tremendous impact on computer science than authoring the most cited paper in all of computer science as well as in EDA. Remarkable! Before you follow the links, can you guess the subject of the paper?

Find the answer in Gabe Moretti's Kaufman Award Dinner Notes. Good links and amusing pictures are in the coverage at SCD Source. And to delve deeper into the subject, see the Wikipedia article.

Building Blocks of EDA

Some of the unsung enablers of EDA innovation are the companies providing building blocks for common infrastructure tasks. Especially if you're a startup trying to bootstrap an innovative algorithm idea, it's crazy to develop yet another HDL parser or schematic viewer. I was reminded of these products as I read the latest press release from Verific Design Automation, which produces rock-solid HDL front ends for a number of commercial and in-house EDA tools.

The original player in this market was Interra Systems. A great schematic front end is GateVision, available from Concept Engineering. Are there any other major infrastructure providers I've overlooked?

That Light at the End of the Jobs Tunnel

Recently I posted some hopeful anecdotes about the job market for semiconductor design engineers.

Now I read Tech layoffs continue, despite signs of economic improvement and it makes me feel my prior observations are the exceptions to the rule. What's your sense of the current job market? I'm hoping that my new found pessimism represents "capitulation", that point when hope is lost, and marks the nadir of a market or trend.

Engineering Halloween

He only pokes fun at Marketing a little bit this time.

I must confess, I once dressed as an integrated circuit for Halloween. It was in college and I was a DIP. Maybe that's why it didn't impress the girls? Have a great weekend.

Are You Listening?

When I'm out and about doing chores or exercising, chances are I'll be listening to my iPod. But more often than not, I'm listening to podcasts rather than music. Listening to podcasts is an efficient way of "reading on the go". You can catch up on the latest news stories, political opinions, or investment ideas. Those are my interests; you can find a podcast on practically any topic.

Have you listened to podcasts? Which are your favorites? In our field of semiconductor engineering, there's not a wealth of content. But here are some of my favorite engineering/technology podcasts to get you started.

1. IEEE Spectrum Podcast, which is described at Podcast Picks.
2. Science Friday by Ira Flatow. A classic high-quality program from NPR.
3. Security Now by Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte. It's mainly about computer security, but you can also learn the latest on PC software and networking by listening.

It's easiest to subscribe through iTunes, but there are other ways using the RSS feed and a "podcast catcher" program. Happy listening!

Synopsys Users' Group CFP

As you may have heard me say (write) before, the Synopsys Users' Group (SNUG) conference is the most useful conference I attend each year. If you're involved in chip design and haven't attended, you really need to check it out. There are conferences around the world, but the biggest one is in Silicon Valley every March.

Why am I bringing this up now? Because the Synopsys Users Group - San Jose Call for Papers is open! Here's a chance to show your chops and burnish your resume by demonstrating the cool stuff you're doing with Synopsys tools. The authors get a lot of support from the experience Technical Committee [full disclosure: I'm a member] to help develop their presentations and papers. Think about it, and I'll see you at SNUG.

Career Thoughts

Image courtesy Wikimedia.

Taking a break from the technical, career issues merit reflection and discussion. Here are some brief thoughts.

How's the Market?

What's your perception of the ASIC/EDA jobs market? My take is that it's pretty weak, but a number of companies are "selectively hiring". I had a couple of friends leave their struggling design services firm, and they were able to land jobs at established growing companies within a couple of months. On the other hand, there are plenty of engineers who have been looking for many months.

One differentiator is that hiring favors leading-edge experience (e.g., expert P&R and design closure of 65 or 45nm chips), or knowledge (e.g., advanced degree with an emphasis on an emerging hot area).

Natives Say No

With the depressed job market, this isn't the best time to wonder about this, but I'm perplexed at the lack of US-born chip design engineers. Of course, it stems from the lack of US-born engineering graduates. This leaves me scratching my head--engineering jobs are not THAT bad. As a matter of fact, they're one of the fastest ways to earn a very good paycheck out of college, with intellectual challenge to boot.

A downside is that engineering isn't the most secure career around. There are regular risks of downsizing or technological obsolescence. It's not a cushy career, but how many are in this age of globalization?

If you want a secure career, at least medicine and law are "less outsourcable". However, if you really want societal respect, security, and a guaranteed comfortable retirement, I recommend becoming a fireman.

Give US Your Best and Brightest

In the US, we are so fortunate to attract many of the best and brightest scientists and engineers from the rest of the world. There can be complaints about "H-1B abuse", but there needs to be a system that allows the country to benefit from the great contributions possible from immigrants with advanced degrees.

Where Do Seasoned Engineers Go?

While I'm not there yet, friends and I do wonder where all the full-career engineers are. Look around you -- do you see many 50-something engineers? I don't, and I wonder. Do they all transform into real estate agents? Or should I worry about a future as a Walmart greeter?

Others Weigh In

1. As I was preparing this post, a timely and provocative article appeared in EE Times, U.S. engineers at a disadvantage . The discussion in the comments is fascinating.
2. Update: Harry the ASIC Guy and his commenters weigh in on outsourcing, and IBM's aggressive program in particular.
3. Update: Lou Covey has analysis and advice at We're in this boat together. Start acting like it.