This paper describes applications of molecular simulation to microelectronics processes and the subsequent development of techniques for multiscale simulation and multiscale systems engineering. The progression of the applications of simulation in the semiconductor industry from macroscopic to molecular to multiscale is reviewed. Multiscale systems are presented as an approach that incorporates molecular and multiscale simulation to design processes that control events at the molecular scale while simultaneously optimizing all length scales from the molecular to the macroscopic. It is discussed how design and control problems in microelectronics and nanotechnology, including the targeted design of processes and products at the molecular scale, can be addressed using the multiscale systems tools. This provides a framework for addressing the "grand challenge" of nanotechnology: how to move nanoscale science and technology from art to an engineering discipline. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.