Guest Editors’ Introduction: The Resurgence of Open-Source EDA Technology

In the 1980s, the academic community produced several very high-quality electronic design automation (EDA) tools that spawned the EDA industry. Tools such as Spice [1], Espresso [2], and SIS [3] became the foundation of EDA companies. Open-source tools enable rapid innovation and create an ecosystem for scientific development. In recent years, the cost and difficulty involved in the design of integrated circuits (ICs) in advanced nodes have stifled hardware design innovation and have raised unprecedented barriers to bring new design ideas to the marketplace. Unlike the thriving software community, which enjoys a large number of open-source operating systems, compilers, libraries, and applications, the hardware community lacks such a modern ecosystem. With the advent of open silicon IP ecosystems, such as RISCV, Chips Alliance, and Free Silicon Foundation, the time has come to reinvigorate the open-source movement in EDA tools. Recent programs from governmental agencies aim to jump-start the development of open-source EDA tools to reduce the cost and turnaround time of hardware design.