After design engineers think up ideas and turn them into designs, they call on the Design Automation team to help convert their designs into silicon.
The Design Automation team consists of three groups:
- CAD — Provides tools for the design team to enter their circuit schematics and to simulate their circuits, and provides the Layout team with layout verification tools
- Layout — Takes the schematics and physically lays out what the chip should look like in silicon
- Systems — Supports all of the CAD and Layout groups' workstations, PCs, software, and computer equipment throughout the process of turning design ideas into silicon
