Synopsys Hosts Young Engineers from 22 Countries at the Eighth Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia

Armenian Olympiad continues to grow in size and geography

YEREVAN, Armenia, Oct. 16, 2013 – Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), a global leader providing software, IP and services used to accelerate innovation in chips and electronic systems, today announced that the final stage of the Eighth Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia took place at the Synopsys Armenia Education Department (SAED) during Synopsys Week held October 15-19 in Yerevan. This year, the number and diversity of participants grew dramatically, attracting young engineers from 22 countries, compared to 14 countries last year. The Olympiad welcomed participants from Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, India, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine, Vietnam and the USA. Of the 613 competitors in the Olympiad, 174 were from Armenia and 439 were from abroad.

Initiated in 2006 under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the Olympiad plays an important role in microelectronics education and stimulates further development of microelectronics in Armenia and in the participating countries by recognizing and inspiring talented engineers under the age of 30, increasing interest in microelectronics among young specialists, creating a community of young specialists involved in microelectronics, as well as discerning the level of knowledge of participants in the field of microelectronics in order to make necessary adjustments to regional educational programs.

Olympiad topics for 2013 included Digital IC Design and Test, Analog and Mixed-Signal IC Design and Test, Semiconductor Devices and Technology, and Mathematic and Algorithmic Issues of Electronic Design Automation (EDA).

“Such initiatives should always be encouraged as they allow recognizing and appreciating the bests, whose skills and knowledge can greatly contribute to the development of IT sphere that has a strategic importance for Armenia’s economy,” said Tigran Sargsyan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. “At the same time the Olympiad highlights Armenia on the world IT map as a regional center for microelectronics.”

The competition was conducted in two stages. The first stage, held in 22 countries throughout the year through local committees, involved a written test establishing a baseline understanding of electronic design concepts and techniques. The second stage involved a challenging contest consisting of advanced engineering tasks requiring complex solutions. Of 613 participants in the first stage, 44 were qualified to progress to the second stage held on October 15 in Yerevan at Synopsys’ Armenia Education Department (SAED).

This is the second year the event has been held in cooperation with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Test Technology Technical Council (TTTC). Synopsys Armenia CJSC is the general organizer and a sponsor of the Olympiad. VivaCell-MTS is the general sponsor of the Olympiad. The Olympiad is also sponsored by Arminco CJSC, Elitar Travel Company, Enterprise Incubator Foundation, INGO ARMENIA ICJSC, Microsoft Armenia, Partner Co. Ltd, Unicomp CJSC, Union of Information Technology Enterprises, Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia, Viasphere Technopark. The information sponsors are ARKA Agency, Business Express Weekly, ECOnomika Magazine, Public Radio of Armenia, Yerkir Media TV and 168 Hours Daily.

“It’s a great honor for me to welcome the best and the brightest young engineers from 22 countries. The growth of the Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia demonstrates the attractiveness of Armenia to technology players around the world. The event is unprecedented in this field and it serves as a strong basis for developing technological relationships for Armenia around the world,” said Rich Goldman, president of the organizing committee of the Olympiad, CEO of Synopsys Armenia CSJC, and vice president of corporate marketing and strategic alliances at Synopsys.

“The quality of education in Armenia will define our future as it is a necessary precondition to achieving competitive advantage,” said Ralph Yirikian, general manager of VivaCell-MTS, the general sponsor of the Olympiad. “The field of microelectronics has a great potential for creating a new value chain in the country with sustainable source of income for the youth of Armenia and the country at large. As Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator and a corporate citizen, VivaCell-MTS recognizes the importance of supporting ambitious initiatives that lead young people to great discoveries and encourage creativity.”

“During the past eight years the Olympiad has served its main objective of stimulating further development of microelectronics in Armenia and the region,” said Professor Vazgen Melikyan, president of the program committee of the Olympiad and director of SAED. “Now the Olympiad might be aimed at supporting the business goals of companies in the semiconductor industry.”

The winners of the Eighth Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia were awarded with prizes at the Synopsys Gala Evening held on October 16, 2013 at the Komitas Chamber Music Hall in Yerevan. The winners are:

• First prize – Notebook computer from VivaCell-MTS went to Meng Shiguang (China)
• Second prize – iPad from Synopsys Armenia went to Felipe Goncalves (Brazil)
• Third prize – Netbook from Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) went to Nikola Ivanišević (Serbia)
• Third prize – Netbook from Unicomp CJSC went to Vache Galstyan (Armenia)
• Best Engineering Solution – prize from Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE) went to Anatoli Mordakhay (Israel)
• Best Out-of-the-Box Solution – prize from Microsoft Armenia went to Mahmoud Ouda (Saudi Arabia)
• Most Creative Solution – prize from Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA) went to Sebastian Carbonetto (Argentina)
• Best Female Participant – prize from Partner Co. Ltd went to Nelly Khachatryan (Armenia)
• Youngest Participant – prize from Arminco CJSC went to Andranik Hayrapetyan (Armenia)
• Best Result among Participants from Gyumri – prize from the Prime Minister of Republic of Armenia went to Armen Shahvaladyan (Armenia)
• Best Result from each Country – prize from Olympiad Organizing Committee went to Sebastian Carbonetto (Argentina), Artsem Zharyn (Belarus), Felipe Goncalves (Brazil), Diego Avila (Chile), Shiguang Meng (China), Ashraf AbdelFattah (Egypt), Tornike Tchikadze (Georgia), Tilmann Becker (Germany), Mittal Abhishek (India), Anatoli Mordakhay (Israel), Mahmoud Musbah Ahmad Abdelfattah (Jordan), Mycel Capilayan (Philippines), Ivan Anisimov (Russia), Mahmoud Ouda (Saudi Arabia), Nikola Ivanišević (Serbia), Mykhailo Skorobohatyi (Ukraine), and Nakul Krishnan (USA).

All foreign participants were granted with free travel insurance from INGO ARMENIA ICJSC.

“I participated in the 7th Microelectronics Olympiad, placing second in China, but missed the chance to visit Armenia. I was determined to win this year, and I did. It’s my pleasure to visit Armenia and to compete in the final stage of the Eighth Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia. I am honored to be among 44 finalists because I believe that it shows the high quality of microelectronics education in my university,” said Shiguang Meng, PhD candidate from University of Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing, China. “This also gave me an opportunity to spend three full days in Armenia, learn more about Yerevan and gain new friends from around the world.”

Affiliated Olympiads are now being held in other countries. The first Microelectronics Olympiad of Israel was held on April 23, 2013 in Ramat Gan and the first Microelectronics Olympiad of China was held on May 7, 2013 in Beijing. The second Olympiad of Malaysia took place during the 5th Asia Symposium on Quality Electronic Design (ASQED 2013) on August 26 in Penang.