SAN JOSE, Calif., November 2, 2016—Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS), Coventor, X-FAB and Reutlingen University have teamed up to launch the MEMS design contest to encourage the development of innovative MEMS and mixed-signal designs. The first-prize winner will receive a $5000 cash award, have their design manufactured at X-FAB’s wafer production facilities and get a free one-year license of Coventor’s MEMS design software. The second and third prize winners will receive $2,000 and $1,000 cash prizes respectively, along with a private tour of X-FAB’s foundry facilities. The contest registration is open until December 31, 2016, and design teams are encouraged to enter the contest at http://info.coventor.com/mems-design-contest-2018
“We are looking forward to seeing innovative, creative designs from companies, entrepreneurs, researchers and students from around the globe,” said Dr. Stephen R. Breit, vice president of engineering at Coventor. “All four organizations behind this effort are committed to furthering the integration of MEMS design, mixed-signal design and device fabrication.”
To support contest registrants, the organizers will provide free training workshops to help participating design teams become familiar with the design tools, methodologies and process technologies needed to create their MEMS and mixed-signal designs. Participants will also receive free access to various IP blocks that can be used as part of their design such as digital SC, I/Os, RAM and ROM blocks.
The contest results will be announced, and prizes will be awarded at the annual Cadence user conference, CDNLive EMEA, in Munich, Germany, in 2018. The key dates for the contest are:
December 31, 2016: Entry deadline
March 1, 2017: Entry acceptance notification; design phase starts
December 31, 2017: Design submission deadline
February 28, 2018: Prize announcements
CDNLive EMEA 2018: Awards ceremony
About the Contest Organizers
Cadence Design Systems http://www.cadence.com/ enables global electronic design innovation and plays an essential role in the creation of today’s integrated circuits and electronics. Customers use Cadence software, hardware, IP and services to design and verify advanced semiconductors, consumer electronics, networking and telecommunications equipment, and computer systems. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with sales offices, design centers and research facilities around the world to serve the global electronics industry.
X-FAB http://www.xfab.com/ is the leading analog/mixed-signal and MEMS foundry group manufacturing silicon wafers for automotive, industrial, consumer, medical and other applications. X-FAB’s analog-digital integrated circuits (mixed-signal ICs), sensors and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) are manufactured at six production facilities in Germany, France, Malaysia and the U.S. X-FAB employs more than 3,800 people worldwide.
Coventor, Inc. http://www.coventor.com/mems-solutions is the market leader in automated design solutions for developing semiconductor process technology and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). Coventor serves a worldwide customer base of integrated device manufacturers, memory suppliers, fabless design houses, independent foundries, and R&D organizations from its headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, and offices in Silicon Valley, California, Waltham, Massachusetts, and Paris, France.
Reutlingen University http://www.reutlingen-university.de/ is one of Germany’s leading universities, offering international academic programs with close ties to industry and commerce. It will help formulate and organize the call for participation of the contest.
