Cadence Europe Expands Its Academic Network

Cadence Design Systems announced that three additional universities will take on active roles in its academic network in Europe. The network promotes the proliferation of leading-edge technologies and methodologies at universities renowned for their engineering and design excellence. The latest additions to the Cadence Academic Network are the CETTI/TU Bucharest, which will focus on PCB design; the KTH Stockholm, which will concentrate on wireless radio design; and the TU Braunschweig, with the focus on digital low power design methodology.

Each university focuses on a specific design domain so that the entire design cycle is covered among network participants. Existing participants are the TU Ilmenau/IMMS (radio frequency), the University of Freiburg (analog/mixed signal), the University of Bristol (advanced verification methodology), and the University of Heidelberg (advanced SoC verification).

Acknowledging the increasing need for the semiconductor industry to hire graduates with deployable design skills, Cadence provides design methodologies and a forum for networking where universities share their knowledge and best practices with other academic and research institutions. Trained on the most advanced design automation software available today (distributed by the EUROPRACTICE program, managed by STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory), students graduate with an in-depth knowledge of how to address today’s pressing design issues.

“The academic network from Cadence is unique in its approach,” said Prof. Dr. Ralf Sommer of TU Ilmenau. “Using leading-edge methodologies, our students are now well-equipped to research new solutions that tackle the most advanced design demands presented by the industry. For example, managers from a leading German foundry recently hired trainees from our university and were enthusiastic about the practical skills they had acquired during their academic training.”

“One of the benefits of the Cadence Academic Network is that our teaching is supported by the latest electronic design and verification tools and methodologies,” said Dr. Kerstin Eder, University of Bristol, UK. “This gives our students a competitive edge in the job market. Many of the students who graduated last year have now been recruited into the local microelectronic design industry. We started using Cadence’s SoC Functional Verification Kit, which provides a realistic example of an SoC design for teaching, research and student projects. In that way, our entire microelectronic activity is supported by state-of-the-art technology and methodologies.”

Prof. Dr. Paul Svasta from CETTI/TU Bucharest said, “With our participation in the academic network, we look forward to sharing experiences with fellow universities and acquiring expertise in education, training and research. By offering practical training, we hope to stimulate the interest of students to participate in innovative CAD activities associated with research and development of electronic products.”