SNUG Silicon Valley: A Celebration Worth Waiting For

SNUG Silicon Valley was not only live this year, but it also brought back to life the sense of community and collaboration that has been the hallmark of Synopsys’ flagship event for over 30 years. During my four year tenure as Technical Committee Chair, this was the first time it was held in-person due to the ongoing pandemic. Although we kept fanning the sparks of innovation with meaningful virtual formats for the past two years, it was clear that everyone was thrilled to be back together...and I mean EVERYONE - from the top Chiefs to customers, employees, sponsors, analysts and definitely me. The sense of pride to be part of a resilient community of problem solvers and technology disruptors is hard to build when staring at 2D boxes on a flat screen. I felt immeasurable gratitude as I welcomed a thousand smiles from the main stage, knowing fully well that each attendee likely overcame deeply personal challenges and yet still made notable contributions to the tech ecosystem despite it all.

One smile shone brighter than the rest. Perhaps the person who missed the live SNUG format the most was none other than, Synopsys Co-founder and CEO, Aart de Geus. It was an honor to welcome him to the stage and hear him reveal the innovations needed to solve current challenges along with new capabilities to accelerate this innovation. He also demonstrated the problems modern living and technical advances were having on the planet and reinforced the need to factor social responsibility as part of engineering development.

The second keynote by Fran?ois Piedno?l, distinguished mSoC chief architect at Mercedes-Benz was equally inspiring. He shared the importance of multi-chip architectures to achieve the compute complexity and safety requirements in automotive applications and challenged us to join forces to drive standardization in chiplet technology.

Soon after Aart's keynote and the official launch of Synopsys.ai, I participated in a conversation with other industry leaders about the scope for AI in EDA and the overall SoC development process. Despite the promise of AI, there are plenty of skeptics as well as people genuinely feeling threatened by it. My favorite Meta-mantra is "what would you do if you weren't afraid." In this time of uncertainty, many are afraid that these types of technological disruptions that accelerate productivity and QOR convergence pose a threat to their livelihoods which goes against the engineering modus operandi.

We all agreed that although the true impact of AI in this space is still in its infancy, the promise should be embraced rather than feared. AI is just a modern method to exploit, just like EDA was when it emerged a couple decades ago. No one felt that AI would replace human creativity altogether. Further investments in training models and open sharing of data across the industry are still needed to help improve the overall effectiveness of AI in this arena.

When Michael Sanie, SNPS Chief Marketing Executive, approached me to develop a session on Personal Branding, I immediately agreed without having any idea how to approach it. Not only was I reluctant to pass up an opportunity to partner with Alessandra Costa, Sr. VP of Customer Success and a seasoned veteran on branding, I also felt it was extremely relevant due to the climate of uncertainty and helplessness many are experiencing.

I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but as a first generation American of Indian origin and working mom, I'm well aware of the scars that come from being branded by someone else. Although I've concealed "my scars" to avoid any semblance of victimhood, I know the insecurities that stem from them and the empowerment that comes from owning your story. So there was no turning back. Alessandra and I shared best practices and a roadmap to jumpstart the attendees' personal branding journeys. Little did I know that along the way, I would excavate my own personal brand - "Engineering Mama Bear."

Many thanks to Alessandra for sharing her story, to Michael for facilitating the insightful conversation and a special shoutout to Erica Lam for her masterful graphic design that brought our presentation to life.

SNUG is ultimately about community. I'm not referring to a temporal glitch with no lasting impressions, but rather, the defiance of all mathematical principles resulting from the exponential impacts of basic human connection. From a captivating keynote to a casual chat between freshly-minted conference buddies who would otherwise never have a chance to connect, SNUG offers a platform for a diverse community of technologists to openly share problems and best-practices to solve them thereby accelerating innovation.

Of course the most notable SNUG celebrities are the two top Chiefs. But unlike typical pop stars, they can't hide their eagerness and excitement to collect user insights and revel in the SNUG ambiance. Both Aart de Geus and Sassine Ghazi (President and COO) were the perfect hosts at the classiest SNUG pub event I have ever attended. From start to finish - literally being "escorted out" by the cleaning crew, they made every effort to engage with the community.

After working for 25+ years, it's refreshing to feel like a kid again in the presence of lifelong mentors, industry icons and renowned professors who make you want to go back to school again.

Of course, there's no substitute for sharing your passion for technology with your mates. Here's me with my Best Mate, Meta Mate and Soul Mate!

SNUG would not be possible without the collective efforts of many passionate people. I am so proud to have had the opportunity to support the Technical Committee, a group of dedicated technologists spanning multiple disciplines and industries. This team volunteered countless hours over the past several months reviewing and curating content to ensure high quality, relevant content was shared. They then worked closely with the authors, SNPS track leads and AE's to develop impactful presentations.

The SNPS planning team worked relentlessly behind the scenes leaving no detail overlooked. It was a heavy lift during such challenging times. The entire production crew and on-site staff were incredible. Thanks for making me feel like a rock star! I've also worked with many key individuals over the years, some have since moved on but I will be forever grateful to all of them.

This SNUG filled a void in our community after several years of anticipation. It felt more like a celebration than a conference and helped to recharge the spirit of collaboration and propel action. It was also bittersweet - marking the end of my tenure as Tech Chair, the perfect culmination of an epic four year journey.

Looking forward to pulling up the chair for the next lucky person and supporting this community at next year's SNUG!