How can the UK develop the next generation of semiconductor chip designers?
We know that semiconductors or ‘chips’ are critical to the functioning of our modern world. Semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) are the building blocks for so many of the electrical products we use today, from smartphones to supercomputers, from cars to medical devices, and pretty much every electrical item we use on a daily basis.
However, if our industry is going to compete on a global stage, we need to tackle the chronic skills shortage.
The UK’s chip design community has been one of the world’s leaders in technological innovation for decades. Its long track record of success has made the UK an attractive location for home-grown and international companies to establish chip design organisations, and there are now around 1200 integrated circuit design professionals in the UK. Unfortunately, the supply of skills does not currently match the growing demand, and over 80% of UK companies with any chip design capability are seeking new engineers.
This shortage is exacerbated by a specific skills gap; semiconductor chip design relies on a supply of strong intellectual talent, with specialists tending to be at a postgraduate (doctoral or masters-qualified) level.
However, as acknowledged in the Government’s recent National Semiconductor Strategy (section 7.4), there is a gap between theoretical teaching and practical skills. Plus, for some roles, people take more than two years before being able to work unsupervised. Nearly one hundred semiconductor companies with a UK presence took part in an Institute of Physics survey, with over half stating that one of the biggest factors explaining recruitment difficulties was applicants lacking the required specialist skills or qualifications.
So, what can be done to tackle this problem and the develop the next generation of semiconductor chip designers?
The UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF) and Pragmatic, world leaders in semiconductor innovation, want to establish a Chip Design Academy. UKESF is the only organisation linking schools, universities, students and industry to address Electronics skills. This means that UKSEF will be able to build on these relationships to help deliver the Academy. UKSEF’s proposal aims to address this shortage of chip designers and the associated practical skills ‘gap’.
Universities ensure graduates have the underpinning knowledge and theoretical understanding, however there will always be a gap between the output of higher education and the expectations of a specific sector such as IC design. Therefore, UKSEF proposes an industry-led initiative to create a formal Chip Design Academy to provide a coherent and focused way of closing the skills gap for newly graduated IC designers.
How would it work? The Chip Design Academy will be a collaboration between universities, UKESF and industry to ensure employers’ needs are met and expert insight and support is provided by experienced practitioners.
The proposal is supported by leading universities, including Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow, and Southampton.
The Academy would deliver practical training alongside a range of other interventions, focussed on sharing the tools and techniques required for real-world chip design and providing the opportunity for each student to design their own chip for fabrication and test. Leveraging Pragmatic’s globally unique semiconductor technology would facilitate extremely low-cost tape outs and rapid turnaround from tape out to fabricated circuits in a matter of days. Therefore, students will be able to watch the chip fabrication process live. This will help de-mystify the design-to-manufacturing process and, thereby, inspire more undergraduates to focus on chip design.
For the initial proof-of-concept pilot project, UKSEF is proposing three cohorts of 20 students each, selected from students at our partner universities who have an interest in learning more about the chip design and fabrication process. The Academy would run chip design courses during university vacations. After completion of the course, students will be offered a work placement with a UK chip design company to further embed the skills an understanding about the chip design process.
Our wider ambition for the Chip Design Academy is to broaden awareness across the education sector and make semiconductor design as easily accessible as software coding.
The journey towards a UK with ample semiconductor chip design talent will be a long one, however UKSEF’s Chip Design Academy will no doubt accelerate this process.
techUK – Unleashing UK Tech and Innovation
The UK is home to emerging technologies that have the power to revolutionise entire industries. From quantum to semiconductors; from gaming to the New Space Economy, they all have the unique opportunity to help prepare for what comes next.
techUK members lead the development of these technologies. Together we are working with Government and other stakeholders to address tech innovation priorities and build an innovation ecosystem that will benefit people, society, economy and the planet - and unleash the UK as a global leader in tech and innovation.
For more information, or to get in touch, please visit our Innovation Hub and click ‘contact us’.
Tech and Innovation Summit, 6 Nov (rescheduled date)
Emerging technologies will be debated and explored at our annual Tech and Innovation Summit, taking place on 6 November. This campaign week will directly feed into the themes discussed at the Summit.
techUK’s flagship Tech and Innovation Summit returns to traverse the extraordinary and ground-breaking discoveries made possible by the application of emerging and transformative technologies.
Upcoming events:
Gaming & Esports Technologies of the Future
National Videogame Museum, Sheffield Panel discussion
A Black Lens: Exploring Representation In The Future of Extended Reality (XR)
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Sprint Campaigns
techUK's sprint campaigns explore how emerging and transformative technologies are developed, applied and commercialised across the UK's innovation ecosystem.
Activity includes workshops, roundtables, panel discussions, networking sessions, Summits, and flagship reports (setting out recommendations for Government and industry).
Each campaign runs for 4-6 months and features regular collaborations with programmes across techUK.
This campaign explored how the UK can lead on the development, application and commercialisation of space technologies and ultimately realise the benefits of the New Space Economy.
These technologies include AI, quantum, lasers, robotics & automation, advanced propulsion and materials, and semiconductors.
Activity has taken the form of roundtables, panel discussions, networking sessions, Summits, thought leadership pieces, policy recommendations, and a report.
Get in touch below to find out more about techUK's ongoing work in this area.
Event round-ups
Report
Insights
Get in touch
Rory Daniels
Rory Daniels
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydaniels28/
This campaign has explored how the UK can lead on the development, application and commercialisation of the technologies set to underpin the Gaming & Esports sector of the future.
These include AI, augmented / virtual / mixed / extended reality, haptics, cloud & edge computing, semiconductors, and advanced connectivity (5/6G).
Activity has taken the form of roundtables, panel discussions, networking sessions, Summits, and thought leadership pieces. A report featuring member case studies and policy recommendations is currently being produced (to be launched in September 2024).
Get in touch below to find out more about contributing to or collaborating on this campaign.
Upcoming events
Gaming & Esports Technologies of the Future
National Videogame Museum, Sheffield Panel discussionEvent round-ups
Insights
Get in touch
Rory Daniels
Rory Daniels
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydaniels28/
Running from July to December 2024, this campaign will explore how the UK can lead on the development, application and commercialisation of web3 and immersive technologies.
These include blockchain, smart contracts, digital assets, augmented / virtual / mixed / extended reality, spatial computing, haptics and holograms.
Activity will take the form of roundtables, workshops, panel discussions, networking sessions, tech demos, Summits, thought leadership pieces, policy recommendations, and reports.
Get in touch below to find out more about contributing to or collaborating on this campaign.
Upcoming events
Event round-ups
Guest insights
Get in touch
Rory Daniels
Rory Daniels
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydaniels28/
Campaign Weeks
Our annual Campaign Weeks enable techUK members to explore how the UK can lead on the development and application of emerging and transformative technologies.
Members do this by contributing blogs or vlogs, speaking at events, and highlighting examples of best practice within the UK's tech sector.
Summits
Tech and Innovation Summit 2023
Tech and Innovation Summit 2024