Roundtable: point accelerators vs. general purpose machines for ECAD

Abstract

Parallel CAD algorithms and machines span the range from the academically interesting to the commercially interesting, with a broad middle ground. The architectures include point accelerators, general-purpose CAD accelerators, and general-purpose parallel machines. A researcher in a university will evaluate these tools employing a different set of criteria than a user or supplier. In academia, one has to get funds and do interesting research; in a company, building, selling, and making a profit are the objectives.