October 3, 2011 -- The is seeking submissions that deal with tools, algorithms, EDA tool usage and design technologies for all aspects of electronic circuit, system, and embedded system and software (ESS), for DAC 2012. DAC 2012 also invites participation in various other EDA-related categories. This includes user track submissions, wild and crazy ideas (WACI) submissions, special session, panel and tutorial proposals and co-located events. The 49th DAC will be held at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California, from June 3-7, 2012.

DAC 2012 has new submission and research manuscript submissions procedures for most categories. Authors are asked to submit their work in two stages. In stage one (abstraction submission), a title, abstract, and a list of all co-authors must be submitted at the DAC submission website. In stage two (manuscript submission), the paper itself is submitted. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscript submission meets all guidelines and that the PDF is readable. To ensure fairness for all submitters, there will be no grace periods to fix a problematic submission.

Complete submission information and topic details can be found at the DAC website.

EDA Research Manuscripts

A DAC Research Paper explores a specific technology problem and proposes a complete solution to it, with extensive experimental results. Submission includes a six-page paper and an abstract of approximately 60 words clearly stating the significant contribution, impact, and results of the submission.

Select authors of submitted DAC papers that are not accepted for publication in 2012 will be invited in mid-February 2012 to participate in "Work-in-Progress" (WIP) poster sessions. They will be asked to submit a 100-word summary to publish on the website (and not in the proceedings). The authors also will be given the option to post their poster presentation on dac.com.

Embedded Systems and Software Manuscripts

Authors of Research Papers on all aspects of ESS are specifically encouraged to submit to this focus call. It is possible to choose a second submission category (both from the regular research topics as well as from the focus embedded topics) to accommodate cross-cutting contributions. Submission requirements are the same as for research papers, and authors of papers not accepted again may be invited to participate in poster sessions, as above.

Perspectives Manuscripts (NEW)

This year, DAC will be soliciting a new class of manuscripts that do not necessarily require original research content. The purpose of this category is to provide a forum for valuable but non-traditional content for the DAC program. Submissions in this category are limited to eight pages, will undergo a thorough review process in the appropriate technical subcommittee, and will be integrated within the technical sessions. Accepted manuscripts will be published in the proceedings. Authors must specify their submission as a "Perspective" submission during the abstract submission stage.

Examples for submissions in this category include, but are not limited to:

Surveys or historical perspectives on an important problem. New problem formulations and benchmarks. Critiques of a current subset of CAD literature (e.g., parallel CAD, floorplanning...). Descriptions of new, yet relatively unexplored, CAD problems. Commentary on keynote or plenary talks from other EDA conferences that have not been published. Visualization of complex design or algorithmic data. New design/ algorithm quality metrics or quantification methods. Applications of EDA algorithms to non-traditional EDA applications. Detailed comparisons and analysis of previously published approaches to better quantify value. Position manuscripts that present opinions on important problems and how they can be attacked.

"Work-In-Progress" (WIP) Abstracts

In contrast to other tracks at DAC, this track aims to provide authors an opportunity for early feedback on work in progress or to share early results. A WIP submission must be one page in length, in PDF format, and clearly specify a technical problem, outline a solution, and provide some early results. WIP submissions will be accepted for presentation at a poster session. A WIP submission will not be included in the DAC proceedings.

The 100-word summary abstract will be published on the website. A WIP presentation at DAC is not considered a DAC publication. WIP submissions will be reviewed by the Technical Program Committee and expert external reviewers, but no specific feedback will be provided. Acceptance notices will be available by logging in to the DAC website after April 16, 2012. The 100-word summary abstract will be placed on the dac.com website once the submission is accepted. WIP authors are at liberty to submit an extended version of their work to other conferences and to journals without violating common codes of ethics.

Some authors of submitted DAC research and embedded systems and software manuscripts that are not accepted for publication in 2012 will be given "WIP pre-selected" status. These authors will be invited in mid-February 2012 to participate in the WIP poster sessions. The authors will be asked to submit a 100-word summary abstract to be published on the website (and not in the proceedings). WIP submissions received by the WIP deadline are expected to be competitive with the WIP pre-selected submissions. The number of planned poster sessions will be commensurate with the quality of WIP submissions.

User Track Extended Abstracts

The User Track addresses practical and pressing issues facing IC designers, application engineers, and design-flow developers. Contributions provide insights and experiences with in-house and commercial EDA tool flows. User Track submissions may describe the application of EDA tools to the design of a novel electronic system or the integration of EDA tools within a design flow or methodology to produce such systems. A User Track submission may be problem-specific in scope (e.g., analyzing substrate coupling during floorplanning) or may address a specific application domain (e.g., designing wireless handsets).

The User Track has two components: a presentation track that runs parallel to other DAC tracks and a poster track. User Track presentations and posters are not included in the DAC proceedings. However, User Track material will be posted on the DAC website after the conference.

A Best Presentation award will be selected from the User Track accepted submissions. The award will be based on both the quality of the submission and the DAC presentation itself. The award will be presented prior to the Thursday keynote.

To spare authors the many hours of preparation associated with a regular paper submission, User Track submissions are in the form of a two-page extended abstract. Authors of accepted submissions will be invited to present a poster during a User Track poster session. Authors of particularly high-quality submissions will be invited to submit their work in the form of a slide presentation for a second review round. Authors of successful second-round submissions will be invited to present their work orally during a User Track session.

"Wild and Crazy Ideas" (WACI) Manuscripts

DAC invites submissions with genuinely forward-looking, radical, and innovative ideas in the area of electronic design or electronic design automation. The WACI sessions feature novel (and even preliminary or unproven) technical ideas. The aim of WACI is to promote revolutionary and way-out ideas that do not fit the conventional mold, that inspire discussion among conference attendees, that create a buzz, and that get people talking. Research that incrementally improves on prior work is not suited for this category.

Submissions to the "Wild and Crazy Ideas" track must not exceed a total of two pages, but must otherwise follow the above rules and deadlines for the research manuscripts. Unlike a DAC research manuscript that explores a specific technology problem and proposes a complete solution to it, with extensive experimental results, a WACI manuscript could present less developed but highly innovative ideas related to areas relevant to DAC. All WACI accepted manuscripts will be required to post a two-minute video describing the work as part of the acceptance process. DAC 2011 WACI videos may be seen at http://www.dac.com/47th+dac+videos+waci+videos.aspx

Special Session Proposals

Panel Proposals

The panel topic should be interesting, timely, informative, and enlightening. The topic should be relevant to one or more segments of DAC attendees. A good panel session explores a single, high-level issue or question and has representatives of differing viewpoints. Panel suggestions may include anything that might appeal to the DAC community. DAC is encouraging traditional topics in EDA, for example, verification and physical design. Special focus areas in 2012 include embedded software and architectures, multi-core, security, virtualization, energy harvesting, emerging devices, cloud computing, parallelization, 3-D, design for manufacturability, cyber-physical systems. DAC reserves the right to restructure all panel suggestions.

Tutorial Proposals

In 2012, DAC tutorials will be scheduled as two-hour, short tutorials presented multiple times on tutorial day so that attendees can cover three topics of their choice. The preferred structure for a tutorial is to have a single speaker for a given session. DAC is looking for tangible, hands-on topics that provide immediate value for the attendee. The areas can cover:

Traditional EDA topics (for example, "How to architect a parallel timing analyzer") Hot design topics (for example, "How to design a low-power memory controller") Emerging software development topics (for example, "How to get started on writing iPhone apps")

Workshop Proposals

DAC invites you to organize a workshop on topics related to design, design methodologies, and design automation. DAC workshops are considered a central part of DAC's technical program and span anywhere from two to nine hours. A workshop organizer is responsible for developing the agenda, selecting, inviting and confirming the speakers, and communicating the workshop details to the DAC office. DAC's responsibility includes the financial management, setting registration fees, coordinating the logistics of the event and publicity.