Syracuse University receives Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys and Sun Microsystems

Syracuse University receives Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys and Sun MicrosystemsSeptember 16, 2005Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in semiconductor design software, has announced that Syracuse University is the recipient of a Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys and Sun Microsystems, Inc. SU will receive 30 Sun workstations and 50 copies of Synopsys’ electronic design automation (EDA) University Tool Package software and licenses, along with curriculum support and Synopsys engineers’ assistance with installation of licenses and training.

“Syracuse University is grateful for this generous grant from Synopsys and Sun,” says Carlos Hartmann, chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) in SU’s L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science. “We look forward to using these state-of-the-art EDA tools and hardware to produce the best-trained engineers in the world.”

Syracuse is among the first universities to receive this grant, which furthers Synopsys’ relationship with academe. The faculty and students have worked with Synopsys in the past and have served as a beta site for curriculum development and research projects.

“At Sun we have a unique architecture that addresses the common issues for academic design automation environments today and in the future,” says Fred James, EDA account manager for partner and industry marketing at Sun. “Integrating this environment with Synopsys design software provides a complete solution at the university level for undergraduate development and post-graduate research. Sun is excited to work with Synopsys through the Charles Babbage Grant process to further higher education.”

SU is currently incorporating the Synopsys tools into all the digital design courses in the computer engineering (CE) program, residing in the EECS department. The Synopsys tools are being integrated into courses in logic design, testing, verification, computer laboratories and very large-scale integration (VLSI) at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Also, professors at SU are integrating the Synopsys tools into their research activities. The continuous advancement in semiconductor technologies has allowed for more complex systems to be built on a single integrated circuit. However, this high integration presents challenges for system designers to keep up with such amazing complexity. Researchers at SU use the Synopsys tools to make efficient use of the potential offered by the emerging deep-sub-micron semiconductor technologies. The faculty team addresses all aspects needed to design, test, verify and build systems-on-chips (SoCs).

“We know that design challenges become harder every year and our goal is to help prepare students to meet these challenges,” says Rich Goldman, vice president of strategic market development at Synopsys and chief executive officer of Synopsys Armenia; he received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from SU in 1982. “We are dedicated to promoting academe, and are always looking for ways to encourage and educate students in the important field of IC design.”

The Charles Babbage Grant provides Synopsys tools with partner hardware to specific U.S. and international universities that are involved in improving teaching and advancing research with EDA tools. 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, more than 150 years ago.

Synopsys, Inc., is a world leader in EDA software for semiconductor design. The company delivers technology-leading semiconductor design and verification platforms and IC manufacturing software products to the global electronics market, enabling the development and production of complex systems-on-chips (SoCs). Synopsys also provides intellectual property and design services to simplify the design process and accelerate time-to-market for its customers. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and has offices in more than 60 locations throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Asia. For more information,visit Synopsys online at http:/www.synopsys.com.