£22million investment in ic design centre
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A £22million centre of excellence is being launched in Singapore to develop key technologies to design integrated circuits and systems for applications in medical technology and consumer electronics.
The Singapore IC Design Centre of Excellence, called 'Virtus' is jointly funded by Nanyang Technology University (NTU) and IT specialist EDB.
There are around 1100 design engineers in Singapore with 44% specialising in analogue, mixed signal and rf ic design. Prof Kam Chan Hin, chair at the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, NTU, said that the centre would help address the shortage of ic design engineers. He noted: "NTU is pleased to partner EDB in setting up… Virtus, signalling the need for Singapore to groom more locally based ic design houses to fuel and further foster the growth of the semiconductor ecosystem in Singapore. Virtus' establishment is of strategic national interest and promises potentially high economic yield."
Virtus will collaborate globally with universities, research institutions and electronics organisations such as Agilent Technologies, which will be contributing a suite of simulation software worth almost £12.5million. Rob Young, general manager at Agilent Singapore, said: "Using our design simulation software, the centre's ic designers will reduce the time needed to design next generation integrated circuits that will consume less power and have more features packed into a smaller footprint. This means the centre can speed up the commercialisation of the integrated circuits to be used in end products from mobile phones to space shuttles."
Virtus is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2010.
