Design Automation Standards Development

``Creating, modifying, supporting and managing complex electronic systems are dependent upon the ability to communicate the design details from one design discipline to another and to integrate the various types of data representing the many facets of the product description.'' The reliability of complex electronic systems is equally dependent on the ability to communicate the necessary data, throughout a product's life cycle, among those who design and maintain the product. The VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) and the Electronic Design Interchange Format (EDIF) are two standards that may help to streamline the process. A conceptual schema for shared product data may be used to relate the electrical design environment to the mechanical design and fabrication environment. This paper addresses the design automation standards environment and the relationships being formed between the Design Automation Standards Subcommittee (DASS) and other standardsmaking activities. The ongoing effort within the DASS to develop a range of standards and recommended practices that will aid the electronics industry to achieve necessary data communication capabilities are discussed. Two of the prominent new design automation standards, VHDL and EDIF, are described.