Invited: Analog IC Design Automation - More than a Technical Challenge

The design of analog integrated circuits (ICs) and analog IC components is still a largely manual process, especially when compared to digital design. Despite significant efforts in this field, which address all major steps of analog design, the automation level remains relatively low. In this extended abstract, we discuss some potential reasons for this situation. Besides technical challenges, we also consider non-technical aspects, as we have observed that they play a crucial role in limiting the usage of analog automation. For most of the challenges, we suggest mitigations, which should be taken into account when developing analog EDA (electronic design automation).