President's Message

SSCS members ask me, is hardware disappearing? Has it gone virtual, or has it been globalized out? The Journal of Solid-State Circuits is hardware. However, the thick pack of paper we are used to receiving every month is disappearing, virtualized together, perhaps, with our desk. Nowadays the circuit "paper" comes in layers, organized per screen. The layers go up and down -- up for the applications, down for the circuit details -- with one delta of understanding added per screen. Thus, design has gone virtual. Or is it the hardware (chip) that has gone virtual? Has the design of this hardware gone soft? A conference, on the other hand, is like the premiere of a painting exhibit. We receive a catalogue beforehand. Then we then get together with a few colleagues or friends to make a short tour. We exchange our impressions and at the reception at the end we have a drink (free for SSCS members).