According to information from Chip Easy, there are no more than ten universities in China that can provide chip fabrication opportunities for undergraduates.
Among these universities, not all of them have stable chip fabrication processes. Some schools only have opportunities for chip fabrication when collaborating with enterprises, while others only allow certain research groups at the master’s level to have such opportunities.
Returning to the topic of costs, we can refer to the responses from experienced engineers in the industry:
The opportunities for schools to provide students with chip fabrication are very limited. Even if they can fabricate chips, the process technology is primarily based on 65nm. However, the hiring companies in the industry have requirements that go beyond this:
This is the recent job posting from Baidu Kunlun Chip, which clearly mentions in the job responsibilities that having experience in chip design using 28nm or more advanced processes, as well as experience in complex IP or SOC development, and actual chip fabrication experience are all plus points.
Isn’t that intense? What’s even more intense is that this requirement is not an isolated case. Since last year, companies have been doing this, and they strictly filter resumes based on fabrication experience. If you don’t believe it, look at the picture:
IC experts say: my favorite students complain that finding a job this year (2024) is very difficult, and without chip fabrication experience, they can’t even pass the initial resume screening.
This reflects the current state of recruitment in the industry, which is very competitive and harsh.
Last year, I published an article about a student who was a master’s student in integrated circuits at Chengdu University of Electronic Science and Technology. During his master’s studies, he enrolled in the digital IC design course at the IC Training Institute. After that article was published, some people questioned, “How could a student from Chengdu University of Electronic Science and Technology enroll in a training class?“
According to the student’s own words:
“During my master’s studies, I was left to my own devices by my teachers. In the first semester, I basically just played around. At that time, I was actually very anxious, not knowing what I would do after graduation or what kind of job I could find, and I was just playing while feeling anxious, every day was a mess.
By the second semester, I felt I needed to learn something. Many classmates in my class were very serious about their research. Perhaps I felt the pressure from my peers. Reluctantly, I enrolled in what I felt was the best online course. I am very grateful for my parents’ support, and also very thankful to the teachers at the IC Training Institute; otherwise, I might not know where I would be now.
Then, I started following the courses at the IC Training Institute. Once I picked up the books and got into it, I found that my previous anxiety naturally disappeared. After studying for more than half a year and completing several small projects, I began to send out resumes, thinking about interning in my second year. After several twists and turns, I found an internship at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Then I started taking online courses while working on projects with the teachers at the Academy, and I made rapid progress during that time.“
What happened later? Later, he received six or seven Offers, and then chose a company he was quite satisfied with and successfully joined.
Being able to find a desirable job amidst the competition is not just because he enrolled in a training class, but because he had a clear understanding and a strong sense of purpose.
He knew that what the school taught was disconnected from industry needs, so he kept an eye on market changes and industry trends, but he did not fall into the “employment panic“; he also knew that being left to his own devices was very “dangerous“, so he built a complete skill set through school courses +training classes; he knew that just having a knowledge system was not enough, so he tirelessly sought internship projects at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
This student’s approach and achievements are the best interpretation of “opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared“. To quote a recent popular saying — with such perseverance, one will succeed in whatever they do.
As for “How could a student from Chengdu University of Electronic Science and Technology enroll in a training class?“, it’s not just Chengdu University; we also have students from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Science and Technology of China, and Xi’an Jiaotong University… Among the 28 exemplary universities, 26 have our students.
In addition, we also have students from Imperial College London, National University of Singapore, University of Melbourne, Nanyang Technological University…
It may sound a bit like self-promotion, but the fact is indeed so. At this stage, the more professional the student, the more they will compete for projects, papers, and chip fabrication.
The chip fabrication projects at the IC Training Institute include both digital IC and analog IC directions, and they have both been upgraded to 22nm process technology!
Digital: NPU chip 22nm fabrication (AI chip)
Analog: PLL chip 22nm fabrication (phase-locked loop)
Welcome to scan the code for more information👇👇
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