The Design Automation Conference (DAC) is recognized as the premier event for the design of electronic circuits and systems, and for electronic design automation (EDA) and silicon solutions. A diverse worldwide community representing more than 1,000 organizations attends each year, represented by system designers and architects, logic and circuit designers, validation engineers, CAD managers, senior managers and executives to researchers and academicians from leading universities. No less than 60 technical sessions selected by a committee of electronic design experts offer information on recent developments and trends, management practices and new products, methodologies and technologies. A highlight of DAC is its exhibition and suite area with over 200 of the leading and emerging EDA, silicon, intellectual property (IP) and design services providers. The conference is sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Electronic Design Automation Consortium (EDA Consortium), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and is supported by ACM's Special Interest Group on Design.

Total conference attendance at the 2012 Design Automation Conference (DAC), the premier event on automation and design of electronic systems, increased by 16% compared to DAC 2011, according to the 49th DAC Executive Committee (EC). The 49th DAC exhibitor floor was open from June 4-6, 2012 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, with technical sessions running from June 3-7.

Preliminary attendance figures for the 49th DAC break down as follows:

• Conference attendees – 1901, up 9%
  
• Exhibits only passes – 2783, up 39%
  
• Exhibitors booth staff – 2704, up 11%
  

Networking opportunities abounded on the exhibit floor, in poster sessions, at the evening receptions, and in the technical sessions, proving that DAC is the conference to attend for electronic design and embedded systems and software.