The Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) and Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) were proclaimed winners in their respective categories in the recently concluded “Unlocked 2024” organized by local integrated circuit (IC) designer company Xinyx Design.
Unlocked 2024 is a competition for college-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students, showcasing innovations in the microelectronics industry.
The contest, which took place on Sept. 19 to 20, seeks to advance the local microelectronics industry by aligning with the Board of Investments’ projection of a demand for 128,000 semiconductor professionals by 2028.
Xinyx, along with other semiconductor and tech companies, is supporting the government’s initiative to meet the industry’s growing demand.
Now on its second year, the competition featured the “Innovation Challenge,” where students pitched tech product ideas addressing urban challenges, and the “IC Design Olympics,” requiring students to draft circuits falling under three categories: “Analog Circuit,” “Custom Layout,” and “Digital Design.”
Sponsor companies, including Xinyx, offered scholarships or job opportunities to promising students in the competition to pursue microelectronics.
The Innovation Challenge champion was the team from the TUP, presenting the “LiverScan+” idea, an automated detection and diagnosis of focal liver lesions through autoML-Based triphasic contrast-enhanced CT image analysis using Jetson Nano AI computer.
The IC Design Olympics champion, meanwhile, was the team from MSU-IIT, winning both the Custom Layout and Digital Design categories.
During a media briefing, Xinyx Design president Charade Avondo highlighted the prominence of software and programming in the tech industry, overshadowing the designing and manufacturing of ICs or chips essential for electronic devices.
She also noted that many semiconductor professionals trained in the Philippines seek better employment opportunities abroad due to the lack of support from other industry leaders and the government.
“We designed this competition not only to identify top talent but also to create a sustainable ecosystem where students, industry leaders, and educators can collaborate to close the talent gap and ensure the Philippines remains competitive in the global semiconductor market,” Avondo said.
Noting that Xinyx is 100% Filipino-owned company, she urged the government to support efforts to introduce the industry to students and encourage them to pursue careers in microelectronics in the country.
Department of Education (DepEd) undersecretary Peter Irving Corvera stressed the need for sustained collaboration between the government, industry, and educational institutions to cultivate a strong talent pool.
At the event, Xinyx also awarded the Philippine IC Design Award to Diosdado Banatao and Dr. Teresita Fortuna.
Banatao, a Silicon Valley pioneer, developed the first PC chipset and graphics accelerator chip. Fortuna, a former Department of Science and Technology – National Capital Region (DOST-NCR) regional director, advocated for the integration of IC design and microelectronics into the engineering curricula of the Colegio de Muntinlupa, where she currently serves as administrator.
