What to Expect at Verification Futures UK 2026
Tomorrow, verification engineers, researchers, EDA vendors, and semiconductor professionals will gather in Reading for Verification Futures UK 2026, one of the UK’s leading events dedicated to design verification.
Co-located with Semiconductors Futures 2026, the conference offers a full day of technical presentations, exhibitions, networking opportunities, and discussions around the future of semiconductor development. The event is available both in person and online, helping make advanced verification topics accessible to a wider engineering audience.
Whether you’re attending this year or simply curious about the themes shaping modern verification, here’s a quick look at what to expect.
Verification Futures 2026 Timetable at a Glance
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 08:30 | Exhibition opens & student posters available for viewing |
| 09:25 | Welcome and introductions |
| 09:30 | Keynote presentation |
| 10:00 | Sponsor presentation |
| 10:30 | Networking break & exhibition |
| 11:00–12:30 | Morning sessions |
| 12:30 | Lunch, networking & exhibition |
| 13:30–15:00 | Afternoon sessions |
| 15:00 | Networking break & exhibition |
| 15:30 – 16:30 | Final technical sessions |
| 16:30 | Drinks & Pizza Networking |
| 17:00 | Conference ends |
Programme details may change; attendees should consult the official agenda for the latest information.
This Year’s Programme & Technical Focus
This year’s programme reflects many of the trends currently influencing verification teams worldwide.
Among the topics featured are:
- Formal verification for increasingly complex SoCs
- CPU and RISC-V verification methodologies
- Open-source and licence-free verification tools
- AI in Design Verification (AI in DV)
- Verification planning and coverage strategies
- Hardware/software co-verification
- Mixed-signal verification
- FPGA-based AI applications
Several talks also explore how verification approaches are evolving to support AI accelerators and machine-learning hardware, an area receiving growing attention throughout the semiconductor industry.
Highlighted Talks and Speakers
Several presentations stand out for engineers interested in emerging verification techniques, particularly those exploring AI-driven workflows, open-source methodologies, and scalable verification approaches.
Some of the scheduled talks include:
| Topic | Speaker | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Latest Verification Methods: A Contract-Based Framework for Scalable Compositional Verification Using Invariants | Surinder Sood | ARM |
| Agentic AI in Design Verification | Mike Bartley | Alpinum Consulting |
| Verification Projects using Open Source/License-Free Tools | Ryan Marquess, Sam Kennedy & Bob Hart, Lia Smith, Darwin Chan | University of Southampton |
| Agentic AI and the Rise of the Design & Verification Scientist | Darron May | Siemens EDA |
| Chip Star Wars – The Next Generation | Neil Dickins | IC Resources |
These are just a few examples from a packed programme that spans formal verification, mixed-signal methodologies, RISC-V and more.
The conference also features a dedicated student programme organised with UKESF, helping early-career engineers connect with industry experts and explore opportunities within the semiconductor ecosystem.
Why Events Like Verification Futures Matter
Verification engineers have access to an enormous amount of technical content online, from webinars and whitepapers to conference proceedings. However, industry events still offer something difficult to replicate elsewhere.
They provide opportunities to:
- Learn about practical challenges faced by other engineering teams
- Discover emerging methodologies before they become mainstream
- Exchange ideas with tool vendors, researchers, and peers
- Build professional networks within the verification community
- Gain exposure to topics outside day-to-day project responsibilities
For engineers looking to broaden their expertise, conferences such as Verification Futures remain an excellent investment in professional development.
Whether you’re attending in person, joining remotely, or catching up on presentations afterwards, Verification Futures UK 2026 promises another strong programme for anyone working in ASIC design and verification.
Will you be attending this year’s event? We’d love to hear which sessions you’re most looking forward to.