University of Southampton receives Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys

The Virtual Learning Environment focuses on integrated circuit design and also involves a new range of courses on advanced system-on-chip (SoC) design, with support and faculty training from Synopsys. The grant has enabled ECS to install new computer hardware in the virtual learning laboratory to support up to 20 students.

Synopsys software provides students and researchers the opportunity to utilise industrial tools for logic and physical synthesis, circuit simulation, nanometre device modeling and fabrication process modeling. Synopsys software serves as the foundation for an industry design flow where students get real-world, hands-on experience building and testing their designs.

The School of Electronics and Computer Science is the largest of its kind in the UK with a long tradition of research in electronic engineering and computer science. This grant enables us to continue that tradition with the latest leading-edge commercial tools, said Dr. Matt Swabey, electronics teaching fellow at ECS. We can now give our students real quantitative experience in modeling SoCs, enabling them to modify and try out designs to achieve defined goals. This ability will be enormously valuable to our students.

Access to industrial design tools for advanced research and microelectronic design is a common challenge facing universities today. Synopsys helps resolve this issue through initiatives like the Charles Babbage Grant and its Worldwide University Program, which provide select universities with design software for modern electronic design flows and leading IC fabrication processes. Previous grant recipients in the USA include Case Western Reserve University, Purdue University and Syracuse University.

John Chilton, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Strategic Development at Synopsys, formally opened the lab during an August 17th ceremony at the University of Southampton attended by students and faculty.

Synopsys selected the University of Southampton because of its global reputation for leading-edge research and its academic focus on engineering and computer science, commented Chilton. Through this grant, Synopsys enables the University to further its reputation as a leading academic institution and to give its students access to the latest tools and equipment, supporting their educational experience and preparing them for future roles in industry, academia or government.