Research Panel Proposals

There are multiple options for panels at DAC: 

• Research Panels are organized as sessions within the technical conference program. Panels are intended to be of broad interest and attract a large audience. Panel topics should be interesting and timely, and the panels themselves should be engaging and informative. Each Research Panel is 90 or 120 minutes long.

• Other opportunities for panels are in the Engineering Track (90 minutes) and in the DAC Pavilion (1 hour). Please submit panels focused on practical engineering aspects via the Engineering Track Special Session site, and business-focused panels to the DAC Pavilion submission site.

A good panel session explores a single high-level issue or question and includes representatives of differing viewpoints. Controversy is appropriate and encouraged. The topic should be relevant to multiple segments of DAC attendees. This year DAC has the following topic areas: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Design, EDA, Security and Systems. See the Submission Categories tab below for more information.

As example, DAC 2026 hosted six Research Panels exploring how AI, quantum computing, and physical integration were reshaping chip design. "New Minds, New Models" debated whether academia, EDA vendors, or startups would lead AI-driven design breakthroughs. "Who Verifies the Verifier?" examined the trust crisis posed by autonomous EDA agents, warning of hallucinations and model collapse from training on synthetic outputs. "Is the EDA Industry Fundamentally Ill-Prepared for True 3D Heterogeneous Integration?" questioned whether existing tools could adapt to cross-die coupling and multi-physics demands. "Who Holds the Upper Hand" weighed electrical versus photonic interconnects as chiplet systems scaled to thousands of tiles. "Bridging Quantum, AI, and EDA" discussed how quantum simulation and AI-native design were converging to accelerate materials and device exploration. Finally, "GenAI for Aerospace and Defense Silicon" considered whether generative AI could shape early architectural decisions given defense-sector data sensitivity and security constraints.

We encourage the submission of ideas and suggestions for panel topics. The DAC Panels Chair will make every effort to collaborate with the panel proposers to shape and refine the suggestions and to finalize the slate of panelists. Submitters of panel suggestions that are chosen for the conference will be recognized in the final conference program. All panels, panelists and moderators must receive final approval from the DAC Executive Committee, which takes into consideration the topics and the participants of all conference sessions to provide a diverse set of topics, participants and perspectives.

Note:  All panelist and moderators are required to register for the conference. 

Each submission will be evaluated by the Panels Chair, who may refine the proposals and the slate of speakers to better fit the conference program. The Panels Chair will then work with the proposers of accepted panel submissions to finalize them for inclusion in the program. Proposers of accepted panels will be acknowledged in the DAC program (online and in print) and in the DAC proceedings.