Discover What’s Next: Siemens EDA at DAC 2026
The semiconductor industry is entering a new era. AI is changing not only the chips we design, but how we design them. 3D IC and heterogeneous integration are redefining what constitutes a “system.” And as products become increasingly software-defined, the boundaries between silicon, hardware and software continue to disappear.
That’s why I’m particularly excited about this year’s Design Automation Conference (DAC) in Long Beach.
At DAC 2026, Siemens EDA will showcase how we are helping engineering teams navigate—and lead—this transformation. From AI-powered design and verification to 3D IC and software-defined systems, there is a lot happening, and I think this year’s conversations will be especially important for our industry.
DAC has always been one of the best places to take the pulse of design automation. It brings together engineers, researchers, technology leaders and customers who are solving some of the industry’s hardest problems. This year, many of those conversations will center on how we manage growing complexity while continuing to improve productivity, quality and time to market.
From EDA tools to AI agents
One of the biggest conversations at DAC this year will undoubtedly be agentic AI.
At Siemens, we’re looking beyond simply adding AI features to existing tools. We’re exploring a future in which intelligent, context-aware agents can reason, plan, adapt and collaborate across engineering workflows.
In the DAC TechTalk, “From Tools to Agents: Realizing Fully Autonomous EDA Workflows,” my colleague Amit Gupta will join NVIDIA’s Da Yang to explore this transition.
And for those of us focused on verification, you won’t want to miss Abhi Kolpekwar’s Exhibitor Forum talk, “Between the Runs: Agentic AI for Feedback-Driven Verification.” Abhi will explore how agentic AI can move beyond individual point tasks and use feedback across verification runs to help drive the verification process forward.
For me, the question is no longer simply, “How can AI make an individual task faster?” The bigger opportunity is understanding how intelligence can connect workflows, learn from results and help engineers tackle design complexity at an entirely new scale.
Chiplets, 3D IC and software-defined systems
Of course, AI is only part of the story.
At the Siemens booth, you’ll be able to explore comprehensive 3D IC design flows for AI-driven heterogeneous integration—from chiplet to system—as well as software-defined systems validation, with emulation and prototyping at the heart of scalable hardware/software verification.
We’ll also explore how digital twins can help engineering teams identify power, performance and DFT issues earlier, before silicon, and deliver more robust software-defined systems.
Real engineering. Real customer journeys.
One of the things I’ve always valued about DAC is the opportunity for the engineering community to share what is actually working.
Across the technical program, Siemens will join engineers and researchers from many of the industry’s leading semiconductor and systems companies to discuss real-world challenges ranging from 3D IC thermal analysis and physical verification to AI-accelerated custom IC design, emulation and pre-silicon software validation.
For me, that direct exchange of experience is every bit as valuable as seeing the latest technology.
These are the conversations that move our industry forward—and, frankly, they’re one of the main reasons I keep coming back to DAC year after year.
I’m looking forward to spending time with Abhi and the broader Siemens EDA team, seeing many familiar faces, meeting new ones and continuing the conversations about where semiconductor engineering goes next.
If you see me at the booth or in the halls, please stop me and say hello—I always enjoy reconnecting with the DAC community.
I hope to see you in Long Beach. Stop by Siemens EDA at booth #1327, join us for a technical session or workshop, and please say hello.
For more details on Siemens at DAC 2026, including our activities and technical sessions, visit:
https://events.sw.siemens.com/en-US/dac/
