Mentor CEO: IC design costs to hit $100M

Mark LaPedus, EE Times
(03/03/2010 1:12 PM EST)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Chip design costs are expected to soar, but software--not hardware--is playing a much greater role in the problematic equation, according to the top executive of Mentor Graphics Corp.

The shift in the equation will require a new type of EDA technology-- embedded software automation (ESA)--as a means to attack the problem, said Walden Rhines, chairman and chief executive of Mentor.

Rhines warned that IC design costs for many devices are projected to hit the dreaded $100 million level within the next three years. Not long ago (and even today), IC design costs ranged between $20-to-$50 million

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