What Are IEEE Design and Test of Computers?

IEEE Design and Test of Computers is a peer-reviewed technical magazine that covers the models, methods, and tools used to design and test microelectronic systems. Published by the IEEE Computer Society with co-sponsorship from the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA), the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, and the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society, the publication bridges the gap between academic research and engineering practice by focusing on topics relevant to current and near-future work in the field. The magazine launched in 1984 and was retitled IEEE Design and Test in 2013 to reflect its broader contemporary scope.

Unlike the IEEE Transactions journals, which publish full-length research papers aimed at specialists, Design and Test emphasizes accessibility. Its articles are written to be useful to practitioners who need to understand a new technique quickly, not just to researchers extending the theoretical literature. The editorial mix includes tutorials, how-to articles, real-world case studies, interviews with technology leaders, and roundtable discussions on emerging challenges.

Technical Scope

The magazine's core technical coverage spans the full lifecycle of microelectronic system development. Topics include semiconductor integrated circuit design, electronic design automation (EDA) tools, verification and test technology, design-for-manufacturability and yield improvement, low-power and energy-efficient design, and embedded software and systems. IEEE Design and Test also covers semiconductor intellectual property (IP) block development and the standards and methodologies that govern system-on-chip (SoC) integration. This scope places it squarely at the intersection of hardware design and the software tools and processes used to validate that hardware before fabrication and deployment.

Embedded systems design has grown as a coverage area over the decades, reflecting the industry's shift from purely hardware-oriented testing toward a model in which hardware and firmware are co-developed and co-verified. The magazine tracks this convergence, publishing articles on hardware-software co-design, hardware security, and reliability testing in addition to its traditional circuit-level content.

Editorial Format and Community Role

Each issue of IEEE Design and Test on IEEE Xplore is organized around a theme, typically a pressing challenge in microelectronics design or a set of related technologies. Guest editors drawn from industry and academia curate the theme's articles, ensuring that the selection reflects both research advances and practical deployment experience. Regular columns and department sections provide continuity across issues and give recurring contributors a stable platform for commentary.

The magazine's combination of academic rigor and practitioner orientation makes it a reference point for engineers working on design tool development, chip verification, and test methodology. It has tracked the field from the era of board-level digital logic testing through VLSI, deep-submicron design, and the current period of advanced node fabrication and heterogeneous integration.

Applications

IEEE Design and Test of Computers covers topics with applications in a wide range of fields, including:

• Semiconductor fabrication and integrated circuit manufacturing, where design-for-test techniques reduce defect escape rates
• Consumer electronics, automotive electronics, and aerospace systems that depend on high-reliability chip designs
• Electronic design automation toolchains used by chip design teams to verify functionality before tape-out
• Embedded computing platforms in medical devices, industrial controllers, and communications infrastructure
• Hardware security research, including techniques for detecting counterfeit components and protecting against side-channel attacks