SAN JOSE -- The EDA Consortium selected Mentor Graphics chairman Wally Rhines as recipient of the 2015 Phil Kaufman Award for Distinguished Contributions to Electronic Design Automation.

Dr. Rhines, who has been chief executive of Mentor since 1993 and chairman since 2000, is being recognized for growing the EDA and IC design industries through his efforts as a leading voice of EDA and for pioneering the evolution of IC design to system-on-chip (SoC) design.

The award, which is presented annually, will be bestowed on Nov. 12 in San Jose.

An EDAC director since 1994, Dr. Rhines served an unprecedented five two-year terms as EDAC’s chairman over a 16-year period from 1996 to 2012. He was one of the initiators of the trade group's Market Statistics Service, a quarterly compilation of market data among EDA players, Mentor added in making announcement.

“Dr. Rhines has helped drive EDAC to a position of leadership, creating a mechanism for the EDA industry to grow and address common issues,” said Robert P. Smith, executive director of EDAC. “He has worked tirelessly to promote EDA as a key enabler, driving the growth of the worldwide semiconductor industry as well.”

“Dr. Rhines has taken the high ground when speaking for the EDA industry and maintained a separation between industry positions and the specific needs of Mentor Graphics,” said Keith Barnes, member of Mentor's board and former chairman and CEO of Verigy. “I knew Phil Kaufman well, and I am sure he would be proud to see Wally receive this award in his name.”

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