Cooperation in the Era of System-on-a-Chip Design

Employers in Scotland's Silicon Glen, like most high-technology companies worldwide, are facing a shortage of qualified electronics engineers. As one integrated circuit becomes a complete hardware and software system—a term which is shortened to system on a chip (SoC)—the need for qualified and experienced engineering talent has never been greater.

Time-to-market pressure, faced by every electronics company worldwide, means that electronic products must be developed in months, not years. The responsibility for this achievement lies with small, multi-disciplined teams of electronics engineers who understand the requirements of bringing electronic products to market. They need help in the form of training, new design software, new methods of creating systems, and new ways of working.

This trend was recognized several years ago by Scottish Enterprise, an economic development agency of the government of Scotland. Scottish Enterprise is looking at the range of issues faced by electronics companies, and has the power to undertake activities that will remove or minimize any technical, legal, or business barriers to their successful growth. In particular, our Alba Centre is addressing challenges faced by companies in electronic and SoC design.

In reality, it's rare to find business and academic communities cooperating in the pursuit of common goals and objectives. In Scotland, however, we created the Institute for System Level Integration (ISLI) with some of our top universities to promote and support the growth of system-level integration and SoC design through education, training, and research. The Institute is delivering educational and training programs to enable the growth of system-level expertise worldwide.

The Institute is a joint venture between the Scottish Enterprise and four universities—the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde, and Heriot-Watt University. Each of these partner universities has diverse research activities that help give ISLI its academic strength and appeal. The ISLI is physically located at the Alba Centre in Livingston.

The post-graduate education and training includes a Master's Degree (MSc) in System-Level Integration, focused on the development of viable electronics products. A part-time version of the degree is also offered. An engineering doctorate (EngD) is also offered, for which students spend a significant part of their time working with sponsoring companies to take them through a complete design, from initial concept to product realization and market launch.

Successful students graduate with a joint degree from all four universities. They are highly qualified, multi-skilled, and equipped with the design and system integration skills needed by electronics companies to retain their competitive advantage.

Another industry development which grew out of the activities of the Alba Centre was the Virtual Component Exchange (VCX). The VCX is now an independently run, self-regulated company that facilitates the exchange and protection of intellectual property (IP) building blocks used in SoC design. In short, it is creating a structured market for IP trading.

While the Alba Centre and its activities are located in Scotland, we are encouraging worldwide participation and cooperation to advance the state of the art in electronic design. We recognize that it's often impractical for electronics companies to send key engineering contributors to Scotland to study for several years. The Alba Associates Program was launched to encourage companies to participate in Alba activities without having a physical presence in Scotland. The program opens the door for organizations to understand and become involved with, on a limited basis, the ongoing work of programs beyond ISLI.

The Alba Associates Program is open to corporate representatives with an interest in SoC design. Associate companies and organizations have the opportunity to network with companies on an international basis, while keeping abreast on the latest developments occurring at Alba. It's free to join, and registration is via the Alba Centre Web Site located at www.albacentre.com.

The Alba Centre is the hub of a Scottish initiative that is driving the future of electronic design. Its focus on system-level integration, and SoC is helping place Scotland at the forefront of the global electronic design industry. The Alba Centre is the result of open cooperation between government, industry, and academia.