Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Texas Instruments (TI) have announced a strategic collaboration to advance analog circuit education and prepare students for the growing demand in the semiconductor industry.

The collaboration centers around the launch of a new course, ECE 4804: Analog VLSI (Very-Large-Scale Integration) I: Tapeout, which offers students hands-on experience with real-world chip design and fabrication. As part of this initiative, students will have access to TI’s analog process technology and 300mm wafer fabrication capabilities, allowing their designs to be manufactured in TI’s newest wafer fab in North Texas.

To support ECE’s analog and mixed-signal design curriculum, the collaboration includes provisions for professorships and teaching assistantships. Students will benefit from industry expertise through guest lectures, mentorships, and direct access to TI’s technical leaders. Additionally, TI will provide Process Design Kits (PDKs) to aid faculty and students in modeling analog IC designs.

This partnership aims to address the semiconductor industry’s future workforce needs and potentially spark innovations that could shape the future of electronics. Students will gain valuable experience in performance issues, hardware design collaboration, component integration, and mastering the end-to-end physical design flow in analog circuits.

Professor Arijit Raychowdhury, Steve W. Chaddick School Chair of ECE, emphasized the transformative nature of this opportunity for students. He stated, “This opportunity and level of access is incredibly valuable and transformative for our students. As someone who would have loved this chance as a student, I am thrilled to see Georgia Tech students’ designs being fabricated in such advanced technology.”

Assistant Professor Shaolan Li, who developed and taught the new course, highlighted the unique chance for students to complete the tape out process, a rare opportunity outside of industry settings. “For a lot of students, the reason that they’re registered for this course is because they can complete the tapeout process. There’s nowhere else [to have this opportunity] unless you go to a company,” Li explained.

This initiative is part of Georgia Tech ECE’s growing focus on providing students with direct learning experiences from industry leaders. The school is developing future programs in various areas of technology, including glass-based packaging, heterogeneous integration, and satellite communications.