Synopsys and National Research University of Electronic Technology (MIET) Collaborate on Educating Russian Students in Analog/Mixed Signal Engineering

The Master’s Program Provides an Advanced Education in Microelectronics Offering a Customized Curriculum for IC Design Based on Synopsys’ EDA Tools

MOSCOW, Russia, June 11, 2014 -- Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS), a global leader providing software, IP and services used to accelerate innovation in chips and electronic systems, and the National Research University of Electronic Technology (MIET), today announced that another 20 students successfully completed the Synopsys and MIET joint master’s program in digital and custom design. To date, 129 students have been graduated from the program and now work at leading semiconductor companies, contributing to Russia’s growing high-tech industry.

Using the proven model of business-academia cooperation and aimed at training students to become highly qualified industry-ready specialists, the two-year program offers an advanced education in analog/mixed signal engineering. The program is based on a customized curriculum for integrated circuit (IC) design that uses the Synopsys EDA tool suite.

Synopsys established “The Synopsys Charles Babbage Computing Laboratory at MIET” in 2006 to support the joint master’s program. The laboratory is a state-of-the-art electronic design facility at the Synopsys-MIET Educational Center that helped MIET expand its engineering programs into all aspects of system-on-chip design, including verification and test. Each student of the program has access to a fully licensed version of Synopsys’ comprehensive, industry-leading electronic design automation (EDA) University Tools Package. Study is jointly offered by industry professionals and MIET professors. The curriculum, developed by Synopsys Armenia Educational Department as part of the Synopsys Worldwide University Program, is comprised of 10 courses and more than 60 labs and course projects.

Under the program, Synopsys also provides educational resources such as educational design kits (EDKs) and interoperable design kits (iPDKs) for 90-nanometer (nm) and 32/28-nm technologies. These kits enable state-of-the-art IC design in an educational environment. Synopsys also supports MIET by providing ongoing training for MIET professors. To keep the program up to date, Synopsys and MIET constantly adjust the curriculum and technologies to address current industry needs and requirements.

During the commencement ceremony held on Wednesday, MIET Rector Yuri A. Chaplygin, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, doctor of engineering science, and professor, conferred MIET diplomas on the graduates. Rich Goldman, vice president of Corporate Marketing and Strategic Alliances at Synopsys, handed Synopsys Certificates of Achievement to the graduates.

“Synopsys is one of the main international partners of MIET in the sphere of education. The cooperation between MIET and Synopsys guarantees that the students receive a high quality of preparation in our joint scientific-educational center. Due to our long-term joint program, every year dozens of MIET students become world-class specialists and find competitive jobs at the leading companies of Russia and of the world," said Yuri Chaplygin.

“Synopsys’ business presence in Russia demonstrates our commitment to growing EDA opportunities and supporting potential customers in the country,” said Gregor Wiethaler, area sales director for Synopsys. “Synopsys works with a large number of universities and is very pleased with the progress we have made with MIET in particular.”

“I am impressed by the skills the master students from the joint Synopsys-MIET program demonstrate when using Synopsys’ EDA tools, and by their deep knowledge of the IC design flow,” said I. V. Zabolotnov, deputy general director for Science and Development at JSC “Angstrem-T”.”

“Emil Kagramanyan joined Samsung three years ago and now is working on our team as a senior engineer. I highly appreciate the role of the Synopsys-MIET educational program, which allowed him to become an industry-ready engineer with the complete set of electronics design skills,” said Dr. Min Su Kim, principal engineer of SOC Processor Development Team at System LSI Business, Samsung Electronics Co., LTD.

“I am so thankful to the Synopsys-MIET program for giving me a deep knowledge of the digital and custom IC design flow and of IP integration. I am also thankful for learning the practical skills of using Synopsys EDA tools, Tcl and C/C++ to develop the necessary scripts for design flows,” said Vladimir Gushchin, a 2013 graduate of the Synopsys-MIET joint master’s program, Design Engineer II at CJSC “Design Center «Soyuz».” “All these helped me to get a competitive job in one of the leading Russian companies developing the modern domestic ADC and DAC ICs. I am proud to bring my contribution into the team that implements the advanced methods of integrated circuit development to support the competitiveness of our company in the world market of analog-mixed signal circuit design.”

During graduation day, the students of the Synopsys-MIET program also kicked off a new initiative to provide lectures to Zelenograd’s school students. Synopsys-MIET program volunteers will work together with the Summer School of MIET “Computer Learning Center” http://www.mietcenter.ru/ , the leading training center of Zelenogradsky Administrative Okrug, to present school students a series of lectures about IC manufacturing and design. The goal is to stimulate the students’ interest in microelectronics by presenting the subject in an easily understandable way. This initiative offers another milestone in helping increase interest in science education in Russia.