PCB Design Trends and Challenges
In a recent keynote speech at the PCB Design Conference West in San Jose, California, Mentor Graphics CEO Wally Rhines highlighted the evolving landscape of the EDA industry’s circuit board tools division. While currently considered mature and somewhat stagnant, Rhines predicts a shift towards greater dynamism in the near future.
Key Points:
- PCB design is accelerating, challenging existing tools and prompting a reorganization by users.
- The complexity of circuit board design is increasing exponentially, mirroring trends seen in integrated circuit design.
- Pressures in PCB design stem from PCB manufacturing, FPGA integration, signal integrity, library and data management, and globalization.
Emerging Challenges:
As PCB designs grow in complexity and FPGA integration becomes more common, collaboration between FPGA PCB design teams is crucial to balance trade-offs effectively.
Signal integrity remains a persistent challenge, particularly with the rise of high-speed systems and denser circuit boards.
Library data management and globalization are driving shifts in PCB design methods, requiring companies to adapt to new technologies and tools.
Automation in part selection and integration of EDA supplier libraries will be essential as library formats evolve.
Global collaboration among design teams necessitates standardized libraries and data management software for seamless PCB design across different regions.
