Investment into EDA, Its Measurable Success and its Return: The IBM Way

Bernd-Josef M. Huettl, Marketing Manager IBM Microelectronics

Abstract

Developing a specific design automation (DA) tool in the chip industry involves executive decisions regarding how to allocate a limited resource budget among a collection of costly DA tools that are required for the chip development. Very little qualitative guidance is currently available to make these decisions. More importantly, no consistent methodology and decision model i.e. on the ROI exists at present that comprehensively embraces both technology and business aspects of the DA tool and which is commonly applicable to all types of DA tools to direct the investment decision-making with focus on optimizing the resource budget. IBM developed an innovative method that interlocks the DA tool inherent technology with the business aspects. It provides the Executive Management with quantified data that they need for the investment-decisions on the DA tools, for managing the DA portfolio, for measuring the ROI of the DA tools and for sustaining a competitive business strategy.

Curriculum Vitae

Bernd-Josef M. Huettl has a 15-year international management experience - Germany, United Kingdom, France, U.S.A./Silicon Valley/New York - in the microelectronics and the computer industry with focus on marketing, business development, technology services, process re-engineering and assets deployment. Mr. Huettl worked for NCR/AT&T and VLSI Technology before joining IBM in 1999. Currently, he manages the ASIC/EDA marketing programs that encompass i.e. Portfolio for DA Tools, Tool Life Cycle Management and ROI of DA Tools. He holds an MBA from the University of Augsburg including a BS Industrial Engineering. He is the author of numerous White Papers and filed his first patent in USA most recently.