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42 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2020 Feature Interview by Andy Shaughnessy I recently spoke with Leigh Gawne, the chief software architect for Altium 365, about the future of the company's PCB design tools. We also discussed some of the market drivers in this segment, as well as the challenges that PCB designers are likely to face over the next few years. Andy Shaughnessy: Leigh, give us an idea of what you see happening with Altium's tools, especially Altium 365, over the next few years. Leigh Gawne: They'll keep getting better and better! From the PCB design tool perspective, you will continue to see large investments in terms of both breadth and depth of capabili- ties. Areas such as PCB routing with improved trombone and sawtooth tuning for high-speed layout, through to all new SPICE simulation and constraint management system, will all combine to deliver a promising PCB design experience. Altium 365 will continue to evolve to support the collaborative needs of our cus- tomers and will expand well beyond the design domain to bring together supply chain and manufacturing, uniting all the stakeholders in the value chain of electronics design in a way that has not been possible before. You will see big advancements around supply chain intel- ligence, with proactive health monitoring and customer-specific information that will ensure relevant and actionable insights. As the platform extends further into the manufacturing domain, customers can expect to benefit from the ability to design with their manufacturer with drastically shortened design cycles and a "right the first time" outcome. With a continuous release philosophy, custom- ers are benefiting from updates to the Altium 365 platform on an ongoing basis. The most recent updates deliver new features, including the component library health dashboard, proj- ect history, and 3D assembly variant support. In the near term, expect new comparison and measurement tools for schematic, layout, and 3D native to the browser, making it easier than ever for collaborators to inspect and review. Shaughnessy: What are some of the biggest market drivers that you see influencing the development of PCB design tools in the near future? Gawne: The business of our customers is under constant pressure from competition and their customer base. Our customers have to con- Managing Information Is Key for Altium's Next Generation of Tools