AI in EDA Is Real, It’s Now, and It’s on Show at DAC 2026

July 27, 2026 -

Part 1 of a three-part series previewing the 63rd Design Automation Conference (July 26–29, 2026, Long Beach Convention Center, California). Part 1 sets the scene for AI in system design; Part 2 looks at user experiences applying AI, including users building their own AI on the industry’s EDA engines; and Part 3 explores the creation of AI chips.

By Frank Schirrmeister, EE Times

Full disclosure: I am writing this series in my role as program chair of the DAC Engineering Tracks, hoping to give you plenty of reasons to join us in Long Beach, not as part of my day job at Synopsys. The observations, the map, and any opinions are mine alone and do not represent my employer.

Every summer, our industry gets one week in which the entire chip design ecosystem assembles in a single building. This year, the 63rd Design Automation Conference (DAC), now officially “The Chips to Systems Conference,” moves to Long Beach, California, and I would argue there has never been a better year to walk the exhibit floor with intent. The reason is simple: The AI transformation of chip design that we have all been writing about, debating, and occasionally rolling our eyes at is no longer an abstraction on analyst slides; it is real and is visible on the DAC 2026 show floor.

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