Certified TowerJazz-Cadence Analog Lab at KPI in Ukraine

Around one year ago TowerJazz VP, Ori Galzur, contacted us and suggested to start a collaboration with academia in Ukraine. TowerJazz is an Israeli-US foundry for analog circuits, mainly image sensors, automotive, silicon photonics and RF, with over 30 years collaboration history with Cadence. After he and TowerJazz CEO, Russel Ellwanger, visited UkrSemi, a design center in Kiev which works exclusively for TowerJazz, they decided to extend the design center!

Representatives from KPI, TowerJazz and Cadence in front of Igor Sikorsky memorial

But where to find good analog designers in Ukraine? The founder and the majority of employees studied at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), so the logical conclusion was to establish contacts with the institute and offer them to start a lab. It gives KPI the opportunity to educate future employees of UkrSemi and work with modern process technologies, EDA tools and design flows. Since this is the goal of the Cadence Academic Network, we have gladly accepted the invitation for collaboration. After one year of preparation, the lab opened its doors on January 30^th. Learn more: https://evertiq.com/design/47611

Adar Segal (Cadence), Juri Yakimenko (KPI), Russel Elwanger (TowerJazz) cutting the cord to open the TowerJazz-Cadence VLSI lab at KPI

KPI is the largest technical university in Ukraine with around 22,000 students currently enrolled. Since it was founded in 1898, many very famous scientists have worked and studied here: Dmitri Mendeleev, the creator of the periodic table of elements worked here as examiner; Sergey Korolyov, the father of the Sowjet Space program and considered as one of the first system-level engineers, studied here; Igor Sikorsky, the inventor of the helicopter, studied here as well. In 2016, the university added Igor Sikorsky to their name because of his major contributions. In 1942, the first helicopter, the Sikorsky R-4, went into series production. The other famous helicopters are CH-53 Sea Stallion and UH-60 Black Hawk.

Sergej Koroljev, graduated at KPI, father of Sowjet Space Program

Various helicopters invented and produced by Sikorsky Aircraft Cooperation

By Cadence partnering with TowerJazz to provide a VLSI lab to the students of KPI, we’re enabling them to create new solutions for RF, automotive, image sensoring and other sensors. It is a unique collaboration, two strong commercial companies and a university are partnering together for a common goal! This partnership proves that we can bridge the divide between industry and academic in a multitude of ways. Do you want to play a valuable role in shaping the next generation of engineers, help them gain experience working with the company’s technologies? Contact us, we are able to help and share the available experience of such partnerships!

But how do you ensure the quality of education? Who teaches the teacher? The Cadence Academic Network is offering a certification program for lab instructors. They have to accomplish a set of Cadence Internet Learning Series (iLS) courses to become certified in a certain area. The certification is valid for one year, which ensures that the instructors will continue to train, in order to keep their certification up-to-date. It is a pleasure for me to announce three engineers from KPI, who have accomplished the certification for Front-End Virtuoso Analog design. More certifications are expected in the near future.

Congratulations to Victor Kazmirenko, Youry Vountesmery and Yevgeniy Karplyuk of becoming certified instructors! 

In the light of the current political situation, Ukraine is facing military conflict in the country, which has also affected the university, but if more companies like TowerJazz take the initiative to invest in the country, the brighter the future shines for the biggest country in Europe!

Volunteers from KPI serving the country