Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ:
SNPS), a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design, verification
and manufacturing, today announced that the School of Electronics and Computer
Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton is the first Western European
university to receive the Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys. Through the grant,
ECS receives licenses of Synopsys' comprehensive electronic design automation
(EDA) software and intellectual property. The grant also enabled the University
to set up a brand new laboratory for virtual learning. 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 utilize
industrial tools for logic and physical synthesis, circuit simulation, nanometer
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."
The Charles Babbage Grant provides select universities worldwide with state-of-the-art
EDA tools, training, support and technology. It enables institutions of higher
education to enhance their expertise in microelectronics circuits and system
design. Use of the Synopsys tools on modern, powerful computers from the grant
helps universities to better prepare their graduates for the future by providing
hands-on experience with current industry practices, modern design techniques,
and actual design tools and hardware. This enhances their understanding of how
learning applies to the real world of IC design. The grant is named after British
mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage, who designed and built mechanical
computing machines on principles that anticipated the modern electronic computers
of today over 150 years ago.
Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation
(EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual
property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing.
Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification,
IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address
the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and
yield management, software-to-silicon verification and time to results. These
technology leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge
in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule
risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has more than
65 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India.