Designer chips

After quite a lot of negative publicity, Anna University is in the news for a good reason.

Magma Design Automation, a California-based electronic design automation (EDA) company has tied up with Anna University's Integrated Systems Laboratory (of the Department of ECE - my own alma mater!). According to The EE Times, Magma considers this move as "a push to help increase number of professionals trained on state-of-the-art EDA tools."

Further...

According to Magma (Santa Clara, Calif.), the partnership has already resulted in the successful completion of a telecom chip. Using Magma's RTL-to-GDSII design system, students were able to tapeout a general-purpose CDMA receiver quickly while meeting timing and area goals, as well as maintaining power and signal integrity, Magma said.

“With the semiconductor industry in India entering an exciting new growth phase, it is imperative that we train more engineers on advanced VLSI design to bridge the current talent gap,” said Anand Anandkumar, managing director of Magma Design Automation India, in a statement.

Wonderful times ahead

Magma said its IC Excellence Initiative trains designers on cutting-edge technology to meet the growing demand for VLSI design expertise in the Indian semiconductor industry. With access to the latest technology through the engineering curriculum, Indian designers can expand IC design capabilities, thus bridging the academia-industry gap, Magma said.

Under the program, which was introduced in March, Magma India works closely with VLSI heads of top-tier engineering institutions providing training material, applications engineering support and software licenses. The initiative encompasses the launch of an IC Physical Design PG Diploma Course through leading VLSI training institutions in India, collaboration with leading corporations and partnering with the government of Karnataka and the government of India’s Department of IT, according to the company.

The Integrated Systems Laboratory, headed by Prof. P.V. Ramakrishna, is also involved in developing the ANUSAT, a microsatellite, for ISRO.