Punjab Government Approves Funding for Chip Design at Eight Universities - Press Release issued by University of Engineering and Technology.

Lahore -- June 16, 2021 (PPI-OT)

Following is the text of press release issued by University of Engineering and Technology (UET)

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UET Lahore leads the development of micro and Nano-electronics chip design technologies at various universities of the Punjab. The provincial government approves Rs 41.75 Million for establishing chip design centers at eight universities. Integrated Circuits (ICs), commonly known as chips, have radically altered the industry and nanotechnology has greatly contributed to major advances in computing and electronics, leading to faster, smaller, and more portable systems that can process, manage, and store larger and larger amounts of information. Chip design technology is one of the most important and significant technologies globally in the electronics industry today. With the COVID-19 crisis disrupting supply chains and geopolitical tensions increasing, semiconductor companies have become more interested in achieving end-to-end design and manufacturing capabilities for leading-edge technologies.

Many governments share this interest and are attempting to support their local semiconductor markets. As the world is moving towards achieving excellence in leading edge technologies, Pakistan is still lagging way behind in terms of any R and D Centre that could tap in the potential available in chip design technologies and could train a work force for both academia and industry. Local Universities in Pakistan are not extensively teaching the skills which are flourishing quite rapidly all over the world such as the micro and Nano-electronics IC design because of the lack of highly trained faculty and academic resources in these domains.

In this perspective, the minister for Higher Education Punjab, Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz, took an initiative of skills development in micro and Nano-electronics design technologies in the universities of the Punjab. Conceiving the idea, Minster Higher Education constituted a committee comprising Vice Chancellors of the relevant universities, few experts in the domain, and some key officials from the Planning and Development wing and Higher Education Department of the provincial government.

With the stated position that "we cannot afford to wait anymore since leading players are already years ahead in technology development," Raja Yasir Humayun further supported his brainchild with the grant of permission and funds necessary for execution of the project. Being a software and hardware...