DA systemization of knowledge: A catalog of prior forward-looking initiatives

Electronic Design Automation (EDA) has had a profound impact on the development of modern computing and information technology which in turn has transformed our lives and society. Despite its dominant focus on electronics, EDA is one of the first fields in engineering that has taken a truly interdisciplinary route: several abstractions, computational models, algorithms, methodologies, and tools have been jointly developed by the chemists, device physicists, electrical engineers, computer scientists, applied mathematicians, and optimization experts. These EDA tools are capable of not only synthesizing and optimizing design from its high-level functional description to physical entity, but also performing the complex tasks of simulation and verification. In recent years, with the Moore's law approaching it's near-end, a number of studies and new-initiatives have been focusing on more contemporary problems and novel application domains for the field. This paper provides an overview of knowledge gathered by the prior forward-looking efforts pursued by the EDA community. Our goal is to systemize the knowledge, trends, and visions that can help DA community to move beyond its traditional boundaries.