A power pad synthesizer automatically proposes locations of pads that are to carry power in an integrated circuit design. Specifically, a computer is programmed to prepare the plan in at least two stages as follows. In a first stage, a number of pads are proposed around a periphery of the IC design such that an attribute (e.g. maximum voltage drop) satisfies a predetermined condition (e.g. below a user-specified limit that's scaled up by a predetermined amount). In a second stage, the computer automatically identifies a specific location in the design for having an attribute value that satisfies another predetermined condition (e.g. interior location of maximum voltage drop or peripheral location of maximum current), and automatically proposes one or more additional pads at one or more peripheral locations that are identified by a predetermined rule based on the identified specific location (e.g. having the same x-coordinate or the same y-coordinate).