ISQED 2026 Panel Discussion
Wednesday, April 8, 2025
3:25pm–4:55pm
AI and Agentic EDA: Toward Fully Autonomous Chip Design
Chair & Moderator
Dr. Ahmedullah Aziz - University of Tennessee Knoxville (Chair)
Panelists:
TBA - TBA
TBA - TBA
TBA - TBA
TBA - TBA
Summary:
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming electronic design automation—from rule-based optimization and predictive analytics to agentic systems capable of reasoning, planning, and acting across complex design spaces. As large language models, reinforcement learning, and multi-agent frameworks mature, a fundamental question emerges: Can chip design become fully autonomous? This panel brings together leaders from industry and academia to examine the promise and limits of agentic EDA. We will explore how autonomous agents may reshape front-end design, physical implementation, verification, and manufacturing handoff—and whether such systems can truly replace, or only augment, human designers. Panelists will debate technical readiness, trust, verification, accountability, intellectual property concerns, and the changing role of designers in an era of machine-driven decision-making. By contrasting near-term deployable capabilities with long-term visions, this panel aims to clarify what “autonomous chip design” realistically means, what obstacles remain, and how the EDA ecosystem must evolve to responsibly harness agentic intelligence.
Ahmedullah AzizDr. Ahmedullah Aziz is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA. He earned his Ph.D. in ECE from Purdue University in 2019, an MS degree in EE from the Pennsylvania State University in 2016, and a BS degree in EE from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology in 2013. He received several awards and accolades for his research, including the ‘Translational Research Award’ & ‘Chancellor’s Innovation Award’ from UT Knoxville (2024), ‘New Faculty Researcher Award’ from American Society of Engineering Educators (2024), 'ACM SIGDA Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation Award (2021)' from the Association of Computing Machinery, 'Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award (2019)' from Purdue University, and 'Icon' award from Samsung (2013). He is a technical program committee (TPC) member for multiple flagship conferences (including DAC and ISCAS), and a reviewer for several reputed journals (including Nature, Advanced Materials). He serves as an editorial board member for multiple journals including - 'Scientific Reports', and the ‘Journal of Applied Physics'. He also served as a review panelist for the US Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Aziz is an expert in device-circuit co-design and electronic design automation (EDA). His research portfolio comprises multiple avenues of nanoelectronics, spanning from device modeling to circuit/array design. Dr. Aziz has been a trailblazer in cryogenic memory technologies, facilitating critical advancements in quantum computing systems and space electronics.