Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the electronic system design methodology. In early June, Graser hosted its annual flagship user event, Graser TECHTALKS 2025. Under the theme "Smart Tri-Fusion: AI Connected Design-Analysis-Manufacturing," Graser brought together experts from upstream and downstream industry partners, as well as internal specialists, to discuss the use of electronic design automation (EDA) tools alongside AI to boost design efficiency and quality. They provided insights on market trends and practical case studies to hundreds of attendees.
Lillian Pan, General Manager of Graser, underscored at the conference's inauguration that the company has been engaged in the electronics sector for over three decades, dedicated to collaborating with partners to deliver innovative and cost-effective design solutions. Graser is proud to be one of Cadence Design Systems' most valued channel partners, having earned multiple Cadence Channel Partner of the Year awards over the years. In the future, Graser will continue to serve as a "technology connection" and lead the industry into a new era of intelligent design.
Cadence presents intelligent PCB design framework
Michael Jackson, corporate VP and GM of the system design and analysis group at Cadence, delivered the opening keynote of the conference. He discussed the use of advanced tools, AI, In-Design Analysis (IDA), and GPU-accelerated computational assistance to construct superior electronic products at a faster pace.
Jackson stated that Cadence offers a three-layer electronic system design and analysis platform that is extensively utilized in PCB design, system packaging, and multi-physics simulation analysis. The system design layer, which is represented by tools such as OrCAD and Allegro, is at the top of the platform. The system analysis layer, which is at the bottom, utilizes multi-physics simulation analysis tools such as Optimality, Voltus, Clarity, Sigrity, Celsius, and others to address a variety of intricate issues in electronic and electromechanical systems.
In-Design Analysis, which is situated between design and analysis, enables designers to initiate simulation analysis tools directly in the design interface and provide immediate feedback on the results, thereby enhancing design efficiency and accuracy.
By integrating three distinct AI technologies into this platform, Cadence offers more efficient and comprehensive solutions for the design, analysis, and development of electronic systems. Optimization AI prioritizes cost-effectiveness, performance, and efficiency in order to identify the optimal solution. Jackson noted that Cadence's X AI platform significantly streamlines the PCB layout process by utilizing optimization AI. In fact, X AI has the ability to reduce the time required to complete a circuit board layout assignment that had previously required several days to be completed manually to a mere few minutes.
Generative AI allows designers to engage with design tools in natural language, generate Skill codes, and query design parameters, thereby reducing entry barriers and increasing productivity. Jackson described a future scenario in which designers can issue high-level goals, such as cost constraints and lifespan requirements, and Agentic AI will automatically search for feasible solutions, optimize designs, and even produce multiple layout versions to achieve truly autonomous design in the context of agentic AI applications.
Jackson specifically referenced the Cadence Millennium M2000, a new generation supercomputer featuring NVIDIA Blackwell systems, in relation to GPU acceleration. This platform has the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and quality of the electronic design process by increasing simulation efficiency by dozens of times.
Robust computing powers electronic design, accelerating Edge AI applications and AI
Charlie Shih, Product Engineering Group Director at Cadence, delivered additional keynote presentations at Graser TECHTALKS. His address was titled "High Computing Power Drives New Changes in Electronic Design and Optimization." He detailed how Cadence's Clarity 3D Solver integrates with tools like Allegro and Microwave Office to enable In-Design Analysis, significantly shorten development cycles, and assist design teams in accurately simulating complex structures such as packages, PCBs, and antennas by combining advanced algorithms with massively parallel computing.
Furthermore, Magic Pao, Associate VP at Advantech, a prominent industrial computer maker, shared insights on the evolution and future of edge AI applications. Magic indicated that the expense of AI inference has decreased markedly by 99.7% over the past two years. Coupled with improved computing platform performance and increased privacy protection requirements, 2025 will be a critical starting point for the explosion of Edge AI applications.
Advantech focuses on five core areas: smart manufacturing, cities, transportation, and healthcare. It has extensively sketched out relevant solutions, including hardware modules, computing platforms, simulation and middleware software, and plans to deliver a higher computing platform to handle more advanced AI inference and robot control applications.
Ansforce CEO Jefferey Chiu delivered a speech titled "Generative Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming New Industrial Trends". He explained the technical principles, application scenarios, and development limits of generative AI to the audience in simple and amusing terms. He also examined the impact and possible commercial prospects brought about by related new applications in other industries, which provided a fitting conclusion to the morning session of Graser TECHTALKS.
Design and simulation engines work together to speed up development
The Graser TECHTALKS afternoon session provided a comprehensive demonstration of Graser's deep integration and intelligent upgrade solutions from two perspectives: design to manufacturing, and software platform to simulation verification. It also extended an invitation to industry partners to share successful application cases.
"Intelligent PCB Design" explored essential tools and application methodologies, including the key features of the recent Allegro/OrCAD X 24.1 upgrade and how Allegro X System Capture integrates circuit design and layout review to improve overall development efficiency. Graser also unveiled the GIMS system, which includes parts auditing, automatic parts selection, version control, and BOM management to assist the team in streamlining complexity.
Additionally, Graser underscored the efficient DFM process of CAMPro and the proprietary techniques of GraserWARE in collaboration with Allegro to expedite PCB design. Eastek Technology demonstrated its ezPlan tool, which optimizes the PCB Panelization and Stackup Selection for Manufacturing flow, and Graser extended an invitation to MSI to clarify the use of the Graser New CM Import tool to simplify the layout process.
The "Multi-physics Simulation Analysis" examined the signal and power integrity challenges in high-speed design, demonstrating the efficacy of the simulation technology and its implementation. The Graser team initially conducted a functional analysis of the Sigrity 2024.1 Hotfix and specifically presented the Graser Sigrity Scheduler and Graser Stackup Exchanger within its premier proprietary solution, GraserWARE MSAPack.
The Graser Sigrity Scheduler is capable of autonomously scheduling and executing Sigrity's SI/PI simulation tasks, while the Graser Stackup Exchanger can synchronize layered structure information across platforms to ensure that design data is highly consistent across multiple departments and tools.
MPS was invited to demonstrate how to use the network analyzer with OptimizePI for PDN impedance simulation and experimental verification, ensuring the voltage stability of the AI chip. AUO presented its recent advancements in optical interconnect packaging design and reviewed the outcomes of its partnership with Cadence to enhance the optical communication driver design procedure. Compal Computer unveiled its internally developed Zero Touch simulation technology, significantly enhancing R&D efficiency and traceability via a fully automated process.
Ultimately, Cadence showcased the Celsius Studio multi-physics integrated thermal simulation platform, highlighting the effective mastery of thermal management through actual applications. Graser effectively showcased the successful outcomes of synergizing partner resources to drive intelligent integration across electronic design ecosystem through case sharing and technical exchanges.
The recently held 2025 Graser TECHTALKS, themed Smart Tri-Fusion: Smart Connected Design-Analysis-Manufacturing, highlights the use of EDA tools and AI to boost design efficiency and quality. Credit: Graser
Article edited by Jack Wu
