( ESNUG 439 Item 10 ) ------------------------------------------- [02/15/05]
From: Peggy Aycinena <peggy=user domain=aycinena spot gone>
Subject: Peggy Aycinena's Questions for the panel
Hi, John
I would start by asking each company to tell me how many employees they each
have. Private companies will never tell you their revenue numbers, but to
gauge the actual magnitude of some of these players, the in-house headcount
will do just as well.
Magma's Rajeev Madhavan -- # employees = ??
Question: I'm sensing that the Synopsys lawsuit is having a dampening
affect on the Magma momentum. I suspect Rajeev can't comment on this
question in public, but I'm interested nonetheless.
Sierra's Pravin Madhani -- # employees = ??
Question: I know I should understand better, but are these guys competing
with the big players in physical synthesis ... or are they partnering
with them? Please clarify. What is Sierra offering that can't be had
from bigger, more robust providers -- providers with better channels
and stronger support infrastructures?
Forte's Jacob Jacobsson -- # employees = ??
Question: Is the pig flying yet? Are there are least wing buds?
Synopsys' Antun Domic -- # employees = ??
Question: 5 years from now, will Synopsys be known as a synthesis
provider, an IP provider, or an ESL tools provider? Somebody there
must know the answer and be planning for the future accordingly.
Mentor Graphics' Robert Hum -- # employees = ??
Question: Can you define DFM for me? I mean a real definition that
articulates what all a DFM tool would/should offer to a user.
Cadence's Ted Vucurevich -- # employees = ??
Question: If you were advising a freshly minted CS PhD just entering
the market right now -- where would you advise that he go? More to
the point -- would you suggest EDA as a career track? If so, what are
the hottest fields in EDA right now? This is a serious question. And
would you recommend a young researcher/firebrand commit his passions
to one of the big players in EDA or that he seek out a small, nimble
start-up -- assuming he could be convinced to enter EDA in the first
place?
Gartner/Dataquest's Gary Smith -- # employees = N/A
Question:
DFM
ESL
DFY
Verification
Standards
Quality of IP
Industry inertia due to uber-domination from the big players
Willingness of foundries to release characterization data
Please rank these issues in order of their level of impact in the EDA
'conversation' right now. If you were a VC and you had $10 million,
who would you give it to?
Okay ... those are my suggestions.
- Peggy Aycinena
|
