SAN JOSE -- Sales of electronic design automation software is forecast to continue rising this year and for the foreseeable future, according to new data from a leading EDA analyst.

The EDA market is "projected to maintain its positive trajectory and last another couple of years," writes Gary Smith, chief analyst and founder of Gary Smith EDA and former managing vice president and chief analyst of EDA at Gartner Dataquest.
 
Worldwide EDA product and maintenance revenue rose 12.3% year-over-year in 2011 to just over $5 billion, Smith says. It was the first time the market topped $5 billion in revenues.