DVCon U.S. 2026 Announces Conference Program & Panel Focused on AI's Role in Verification

The annual design and verification conference will explore if AI can help solve the verification bottleneck.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 1:47pm

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DVCon U.S. 2026, sponsored by Accellera Systems Initiative, has announced its full conference program, including a panel discussion on whether AI is the key to ending the verification bottleneck in chip design. The conference will take place March 2-5, 2026 in Santa Clara, California and will feature keynotes, workshops, technical paper sessions, and an exhibition.

Why it matters

Verification is a critical but often time-consuming and resource-intensive part of the chip design process. If AI-powered tools and techniques can help streamline verification, it could have a significant impact on the semiconductor industry's ability to bring new products to market more quickly and efficiently.

The details

The Wednesday morning panel, moderated by Qualcomm's Vishal Karna, will bring together experts in AI, EDA, and semiconductor design to debate whether AI can fundamentally change the verification equation or if bottlenecks will simply shift elsewhere. The conference program also includes tutorials, workshops, technical paper sessions, and an exhibition showcasing the latest tools and technologies.

  • DVCon U.S. 2026 will take place March 2-5, 2026.
  • The panel discussion on AI and verification will be held on Wednesday morning.

The players

Xiaolin Chen

DVCon U.S. 2026 General Chair.

Vishal Karna

Senior Director of Engineering at Qualcomm Technologies and the moderator of the panel on AI and verification.

Abhi Kolpekwar

Senior Vice President of Digital Verification Technology at Siemens EDA and a keynote speaker.

Jean-Marie Brunet

Senior Vice President of Hardware Assisted Verification at Siemens EDA and a keynote speaker.

Stuart Oberman

Vice President of GPU Hardware Engineering at NVIDIA and the Wednesday keynote speaker.

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What they’re saying

“We're thrilled to welcome the design and verification community to our new venue this year. DVCon U.S. 2026 features an exciting, forward-looking program that spans AI and its impact on design and verification, as well as practical, real-world applications of today's products and standards.”

— Xiaolin Chen, DVCon U.S. 2026 General Chair

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This conference highlights the semiconductor industry's focus on leveraging AI and other advanced technologies to address the ongoing challenge of verification, which is critical to bringing new chip designs to market efficiently.