September 30, 2025
Proposal Submission Site Opens
DAC seeks proposals for the Research Track Special Sessions. These sessions intend to highlight timely, visionary and emerging topics for the respective audience.
Information for Research Track Special Sessions is below.
DAC is committed to inclusion and diversity, and values the representation of varied viewpoints. Sessions are expected to represent the spectrum of diversity in the Electronic Design ecosystem. We strongly encourage sessions that embrace diversity, and are inclusive of regions, industries and organizations that make up our ecosystem.
Special Sessions (Research Track): Special sessions are broad-interest sessions within the technical conference program such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) Design, EDA, Systems, Chips to Chiplets, Security, Quantum Computing and future interest areas. A key aspect of special sessions is that they should be of broad interest, timely and informative, while not overlapping with the content of traditional research manuscripts. Accepted Special Sessions have the option of contributing papers or extended abstracts to be published in the DAC Proceedings.
All presenters are required to register for the conference at the full conference registration rate by April 10, 2026.
Submission Format
All Research Special Session suggestions should be submitted via the DAC website and include the required information indicated below.
Session Title: The title will be published in the conference program
Event Abstract: Provide an abstract of no more than 300 words for the session program. The abstract should be worded so as to attract the attendees to the session as well as provide their key contributions
Topic Areas: Select one or two topic areas from the dropdown menu.
Keywords: Select up to three keywords from the dropdown menu.
Event contributors: Provide name, affiliation, and full contact information of organizer(s) and proposed session chair.
Presentation/manuscript titles: Manuscript titles and presentation titles are one and the same; all presentation titles MUST match the title of the manuscript submitted for the DAC Proceedings.
Co-Authors: Please provide names, affiliations and contact information for each co-author
Short abstract of each paper/talk: Please provide an abstract of 150 words or less that describes each proposed paper/presentation.
Additional details: Please provide the following information in this section
Proposed length of the session: 90 or 120 minutes
Structure for the session: What is your preferred structure (talks + panel, tutorial + talks, only talks) and why and outline each speaker with their time duration
Intended audience: Subject area and level of expertise. Please also indicate the focus of the session: (technical, business or mixed).
Viewpoints and session balances: How does the session holistically cover the viewpoints or the main sub-areas in the session topic? What is the balance between vendors and users, technologists and methodologists, academics and industry, various competing technology solutions, etc.?
Presenters qualifications: For each presenter, please provide a brief bio and her/his qualifications relevant to the topics of the special session (less than 150 words each)
Additional information: If you have any other supporting information relevant to the proposal, you may include them here.
IMPORTANT: Do not submit your special session proposal until you have confirmed the participation of the proposed chair and speakers. Do not wait to find out if the special session has been accepted before obtaining confirmation.
All presenters are required to register for the conference at the full conference registration rate.
Timeline
November 24, 2025
Proposal Submission Deadline
March 2, 2026
Proposal Accept/Reject Notifications Sent
March 16, 2026
Deadline to send confirmation form
March 26, 2026
Paper Submission Deadline
March 30, 2026
Paper Feedback Deadline
April 14, 2026
Presenter Registration Deadline
April 14, 2026
Final Paper Deadline
July 26, 2026
DAC begins
Preparing Your Special Session Proposal:
There are a number of things to consider in a special session proposal:
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Technical or business? The majority of special sessions have a technical focus, which is appropriate, as they are part of the technical program. Sometimes they have a mixed focus, but a business-only special session would likely be better as a panel.
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Consider why a special session is appropriate and what the overall theme is meant to convey. What is the key issue? Why have it at DAC, and why in this year? (i.e., what makes it timely?) Why the special session format? Also, be sure to bring out uniqueness of the topic.
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There are only a few special sessions in each DAC, and the topic should be of significant importance to the technical audience at this time. The speakers need to convey compelling information about the topic, and it must be of high value to the attendees.
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Who are the invited speakers? What are the title, the length and the topic of each talk? Speakers should be confirmed in advance before making the proposal. They should know and agree with the theme of the session. Each speaker will have the opportunity to submit an invited manuscript for the proceedings. The manuscript will be reviewed by the Special Session Chair, DAC Special Focus Committee, the session organizer and the session chair. If each speaker in a session would like to collaborate and only produce one manuscript for the proceedings covering the entire session, that is acceptable, as well. What ties the speakers together into the overall theme, and what is the order of the talks? A special session may have an interesting thematic structure – for example, the first talk may give a mini-tutorial overview of a problem; the next talks may give various solutions to that problem. (See below for more suggestions on the structure)
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The chair of a special session and the organizer(s) can be different. The session chair will have to be present at the session, while organizer participation is not mandatory.
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No organization may be associated with both the session chair and speaker roles. That is, the designated session chair must be affiliated with a different organization than all the speakers. It is possible, but not preferable, for an individual to be both an organizer and a speaker in the session. A person cannot be a co-author in more than one paper per special session. A complete list of co-authors per paper must be given at the time of special session submission. Adding co-authors after acceptance of the special session is not allowed. It must be clearly denoted whether the manuscript (in identical or modified version) has been submitted to any other event before.
Review Process & Selection
Each submission will be evaluated by the organizing committee, who may refine the proposals and the slate of speakers to better fit the conference program. The committee will strive as much as possible to involve the proposers of promising Special Session submissions in finalizing them for inclusion in the program. Proposers of accepted Special Sessions will be acknowledged in the DAC program (online and in print) and in the DAC proceedings.
Proceedings Manuscript
Note that accepted special sessions in the Research Track provide the opportunity for the speakers to prepare a collective manuscript for the session, or for each speaker to provide an individual manuscript. All special session manuscripts will undergo a technical review.
Once accepted into the DAC program, each speaker can submit a manuscript (up to a maximum of 4 pages plus one page of references) for the DAC conference proceedings. It is also possible for all the speakers in a session to submit a joint manuscript for the proceedings. Invited papers are required to include the word “Invited” as a prefix to the title.
The session organizer and/or chair should not be a co-author of the paper(s). Speakers should be luminaries in the field, and that places them in a different position. Organizers have a lot of control in the shape of the sessions, and cannot be directly involved in a possible paper.
In the acceptance letter, guidelines will be provided for paper templates, ACM copyright form instructions and registration details.
ACM holds the copyright for the DAC 2026 proceedings.
Each proceedings paper should be reviewed by the organizer and session chair before the final paper submission deadline of April 14, 2026. This is a firm deadline.
Submission Selections
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Please select up to two of the following Topic Areas:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Security
Design
Systems
Electronic Design Automation
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Please select up to three of the following Keywords:
AI and Machine Learning
Low Power
Architecture & System Design
Logic & High-level Synthesis
Chiplets, Interconnects and 3D Integration
Manufacturing and Process
Circuits and Technology
Physical Design
Cloud Computing, Compute/Storage Infrastructure
Quantum Computing
Design Technology Co-optimization
Safety & Reliability
Embedded Systems and IoT
Security & Privacy
Emerging Technologies
Test and Design for Test (DFT)
FPGA Systems
Verification & Validation
Formal/Static Methods
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If a submission will be relevant to a specific industry or industries, one or more of the following industries may be selected:
Aerospace and Defense
Industrial
Automotive
Wireless Communications
Consumer
Wired Communications
Data Center
Copyright Information
One author of each accepted paper that is submitted to DAC for publication in the official conference proceedings is required by ACM to sign a copyright form.
Authors and co-authors are subject to all ACM Publications Policies
Any issues/questions authors have regarding the copyright form or ACM Policy may be addressed to ACM.
Frequently Asked Questions
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DAC special sessions are part of the technical program and occupy a time slot of either 1.5 or 2 hours. Each special session has an organizer, a moderator (which can also be the Special Session Chair) and an opportunity for three or more participants to speak in a room with theater-style seating with a seated audience of up to 250 people.
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There are three options to choose from regarding manuscript production:
One manuscript is produced encompassing all talks in the session: One file is submitted with all speakers listed as authors on the manuscript.
Each speaker is given the option to produce a manuscript or not.
All speakers can decline the option of producing a manuscript.
Invited papers are required to include the word “Invited” as a prefix to the title.
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There are three different popular structures for a DAC special session. Of course, variations on any of these structures may be appropriate – but please justify your choice of structure in your proposal. The popular structures are:
Traditional – As many 30-minute talks as will fit into a session of 90 or 120 minutes.
Mini-tutorial plus solutions – The first talk is a 30 or 45-minute setup talk, followed by shorter (15 or 30-minute) talks. The first talk could act as a mini-tutorial or outline a problem, followed by 15 or 30-minute talks which cover various solutions or approaches looking for solutions in the topic area.
Talks and panel – e.g., three 30-minute talks, followed by a 30-minute panel discussion moderated by the Session Chair and involving all the speakers, including Q&A moderated by the chair which engages the audience.
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The DAC Organizing Committee reviews the proposals for the special sessions and coordinates with the organizer on the final content. All suggestions must be submitted via the DAC website; direct solicitations must also be entered there for consideration. However, please feel free to consult the Special Session Chair prior to submitting the proposal.
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The DAC Executive Committee determines which and how many special sessions are included in the DAC program, as well as their placement in the conference schedule. The Program Committee selects special sessions based on:
How complete and compelling the special session proposal is
Timeliness of the proposal – i.e., why it is especially suitable for DAC to cover this topic at this time
Breadth of interest in the area
Confirmed speaker list and the coverage of the topic in their talks
How well the topic fits within the overall content of the conference
Once the special session submission has been reviewed, the Executive Committee may make any changes to the special session they deem necessary in the best interest of the program, including:
Add, remove, or replace proposed speakers
Replace the proposed session chair
Modify the topic
If multiple special session proposals are submitted with similar topics, the Executive Committee may choose to accept one over the others, to merge the proposed sessions, or to reject all of them.
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Organizer: The organizer writes the proposal for the special session, selects and confirms the participation of the chair and session speakers, and submits the proposal to DAC by the due date (November 24, 2025). The organizer also coordinates the proceedings manuscripts, to be submitted by April 14, 2026, to the proceedings publisher with the complete author lists.
Chair: The special session chair fills the same role as the chair of any regular technical program session. The session organizer may serve as the session chair. They briefly introduce the session and each speaker, keep track of time, and moderate the panel (if a panel is part of the special session), and manage the question and answer session after each talk.
Speakers: The speakers for the special sessions fill the same role as any regular technical speaker at DAC, and must submit separate or joint invited manuscripts for publication in the proceedings. The Special Sessions Chair and session organizer will review the manuscript and provide feedback.
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If you have an idea for 1-2 talks in a special session, we still encourage you to submit the incomplete session. The DAC Executive Committee may find other speakers in order to fill out the session. It may be possible to merge incomplete special session proposals into one session.
Important Update
ACM’s new open access publishing model for 2026 ACM Conferences!
Starting January 1, 2026, ACM will fully transition to Open Access. All ACM publications, including those from ACM-sponsored conferences, will be 100% Open Access. Authors will have two primary options for publishing Open Access articles with ACM: the ACM Open institutional model or by paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). With over 1,800 institutions already part of ACM Open, the majority of ACM-sponsored conference papers will not require APCs from authors or conferences (currently, around 70-75%).
Authors from institutions not participating in ACM Open will need to pay an APC to publish their papers, unless they qualify for a financial or discretionary waiver. To find out whether an APC applies to your article, please consult the list of participating institutions in ACM Open and review the APC Waivers and Discounts Policy. Keep in mind that waivers are rare and are granted based on specific criteria set by ACM.
Understanding that this change could present financial challenges, ACM has approved a temporary subsidy for 2026 to ease the transition and allow more time for institutions to join ACM Open. The subsidy will offer:
• $250 APC for ACM/SIG members
• $350 for non-members
This represents a 65% discount, funded directly by ACM. Authors are encouraged to help advocate for their institutions to join ACM Open during this transition period.
This temporary subsidized pricing will apply to all conferences scheduled for 2026.
