A*Star makes electronic design automation tools more accessible to companies
[Singapore] Local companies, especially start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), now have more cost-effective access to advanced Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools.
Such tools are specialised software suites used to design, simulate, analyse and verify semiconductor chips virtually – before they are fabricated. They ensure that the designed chips meet performance requirements and eliminate errors in the design process.
The software suites are the result of a collaboration among the Institute of Microelectronics (IME), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), Enterprise Singapore and EDA companies Cadence, Keysight and Synopsys.
EDA Garage, the name of the initiative, was unveiled on Wednesday (May 21). Under this programme, local companies can purchase flexible, pay-per-use tool licences, and the three EDA companies will be on hand to provide training and support in their use.
CM Engineering Labs Singapore, which develops radio frequency and analogue integrated circuits (ICs) for wireless communication and sensing applications, is the first company to get on board EDA Garage.
The company creates its own intellectual property (IP) and provides design services to its customers; it also works with its customers on feasibility studies, coming up with initial designs and developing complete ICs.
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As a small company that self-funds these projects, CM Engineering hopes that the tools in EDA Garage would enable it to develop innovative, competitive, high-speed mixed-signal IPs for emerging applications.
Company director Annamalai Arasu Muthukumaraswamy said: 'It's exciting to be the first participant, and it gives us the opportunity to contribute to improving the programme. Perhaps we can help fine-tune it based on our experience.
'Our goal is to develop competitive chips using the EDA tools, and we hope to collaborate with different companies to develop complementary IC solutions.'
EDA Garage was unveiled by A*Star at the inaugural 'Innovate Together', an event on the programme of the ongoing SEMICON Southeast Asia 2025, a conference for industry, academia and the public sector of the semiconductor industry.
EDA Garage aside, A*Star's IME launched two other initiatives. One was the world's first industry-grade 200 mm silicon carbide open research and development (R&D) line for 200 mm silicon carbide wafers, which are used in electric vehicles, radio frequency devices and 5G communication systems.
The initiative expedites R&D by bringing the development and pilot manufacturing of such wafers under one roof; before this, researchers and companies worked with multiple facilities, making the process fragmented, said A*Star in a separate statement.
The third initiative extends A*Star's 200 mm R&D and manufacturing line, which focuses on piezoelectric micro-electro-mechanical systems technology. This programme, which started out as a partnership between A*Star's IME, STMicroelectronics and ULVAC, will now be expanded to include the A*Star Institute of Materials Research and Engineering and the National University of Singapore.
This technology can potentially be used in technology such as ultrasound imaging devices, miniature speakers and smartphone cameras.
A*Star's chief executive Beh Kian Teik noted that Singapore currently contributes to around 10 per cent of the global semiconductor output, and 20 per cent of semiconductor equipment production.
He added that the semiconductor industry now accounts for 6 per cent of Singapore's GDP, and provides some 35,000 high-value jobs.
'(To stay ahead), A*Star and our academic institutions (will) work closely with multinational corporations, SMEs and startups to drive innovation, build the local ecosystem, and create high-quality jobs, (as) Singapore (makes) a concerted, coordinated and forward-looking push to anchor deep-tech innovation in semiconductors,' he added.
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