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."
About the Charles Babbage Grant
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.
About the University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities.
With over 22,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover of over £350 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres, including the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, and the Mountbatten Centre for International Studies.