Synopsys Inc. (NASDAQ:
SNPS), a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design, verification
and manufacturing, today announced that the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
(IITKGP) is the first institution of higher education in India to receive the
Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys. Through the grant, IITKGP receives licenses
of Synopsys' comprehensive electronic design automation (EDA) software and intellectual
property. The grant also enables the Institute to purchase compute hardware
for the planned Synopsys CAD Laboratory at IITKGP, which would focus exclusively
on core EDA and CAD research. Although details are yet to be finalized, additional
funding provided by Synopsys is planned to assist with the operational costs
of the lab as Synopsys and IITKGP faculty collaborate on joint research goals
and establish milestones to further expand VLSI education at the Institute.
Synopsys also intends to provide support and training to the students working
at the Synopsys CAD Laboratory to help them maximize their research efforts.
IIT Kharagpur and Synopsys have had strong and enriching research collaborations,
especially related to verification methodologies, for close to a decade and
a half. The two organizations have taken leading steps in fostering state-of-the-art
education and research in the domain of VLSI and EDA. Synopsys was a co-founder
in the Advanced VLSI (AVLSI) Design Laboratory at IIT Kharagpur and subsequently
in the AVLSI Consortium, both being the first of their kind in India. The establishment
of the Synopsys CAD Laboratory at IIT Kharagpur would further expand the collaboration
between Synopsys and IIT Kharagpur, and extend the focus of their advanced and
industry-relevant education and research beyond verification to other areas
of core EDA.
"IIT Kharagpur and Synopsys have closely collaborated over the last decade
to foster state-of-the-art research and education in the domains of VLSI and
CAD," said Dr. Partha P. Chakrabarti, professor in the Department of Computer
Science & Engineering and Dean of the Sponsored Research & Industrial
Consultancy at IIT Kharagpur. "We are further expanding this relationship
by working to establish the Synopsys CAD Laboratory at IIT Kharagpur, which
will be utilized for advanced, leading-edge research in the EDA space, including
CAD. The Laboratory would not only serve as a platform for the creation of new
methodologies and tools, but also allow students the opportunity to use the
latest EDA technologies, thus helping to develop the next generation of industry
leaders." Dr. Chakrabarti continued, "At IIT Kharagpur, we greatly
appreciate our time-tested, close collaboration with and support from Synopsys,
and look forward to continuing to produce high-impact results with them."
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, North Carolina
State University, Purdue University, San Jose State University, Southern Methodist
University and Syracuse University. Other recipients include the Chinese Academy
of Sciences in China, Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology in Russia and
Southampton University in the United Kingdom.
Chi-Foon Chan, president and COO at Synopsys, formally opened the Synopsys CAD
Laboratory during a September 8th ceremony at IIT Kharagpur and delivered an
invited Institute Lecture to students and faculty.
"Many of the early EDA pioneering efforts in India were carried out by
a handful of technologists, many of whom have their roots at IIT Kharagpur.
Synopsys has been working very closely with IIT Kharagpur for longer than a
decade on verification-related challenges," commented Manoj Gandhi, senior
vice president and general manager of the Verification Group at Synopsys. "Through
the Charles Babbage Grant and our expanded scope of collaboration, Synopsys
will help enable the university to further its reputation as a leading academic
institution and give its students access to the latest EDA tools and equipment."
"Synopsys India has been actively associated with IIT Kharagpur through
the inception of the Advanced VLSI Laboratory, Advanced VLSI Consortium and
now the Synopsys CAD Laboratory," added Pradip Dutta, corporate vice president
and managing director of Synopsys India. "We intend to use this grant to
help carry out research in multiple areas of EDA tools and also enable IIT Kharagpur
to enhance its reach in the field of VLSI education."
Posted September 8th, 2009