Productivity versus yield: will design automation be practical at 45 nanometers and beyond?(Electronic design automation.)(Column)

IT'S ALL ABOUT PRODUCTIVITY versus yield. each discussion of the futurity of EDA boils down to the same conundrum: in what manner to manufacture efficient chips without the ne for time-wasting engineering tweaks. To make designers more productive as they work at 45 nanometers and beyond, the EDA vendors are touting futurity tools that will raise chip design above its in every one's mouth capabilities, allowing designers to manipulate stops of circuitry as easily as they one time manipulated individual components. To eliminate tweaks without affecting yield, EDA vendors intend to make their tools more aware of