17 that academic institutions, the natural site for innovation, are largely locked out of the chip-design space.” To overcome these challenges and ensure Israel’s competitive edge, EnICS founders “decided to create a kibbutz,” Teman continues, “in which we’d pool our infrastructure, research teams, budgets, and knowledge to overcome the challenges in the chip-design process.” Today, EnICS has succeeded in designing more than 40 working chips whose functionality push the boundaries of today’s silicon-based systems, including a chip described by the Cadence Academic Network as “one of the most complex chips ever designed within an academic environment.” What’s more, the EnICS model ensures a continuity of knowledge and research, as all members share findings with the others and create a whole far greater than the sum of its parts. Alongside innovation and research for chip design, EnICS also advances semiconductor education: Recognizing that most Israeli engineering graduates finish their studies with no real knowledge of chip design, EnICS’s researchers launched the Hardware and Chip Design Engineering Track within the computer-science degree—the first such undergraduate degree of its kind in the country. With 20 outstanding students in its first year alone, the track is poised to play a key role in packing Israel’s hardware-engineer pipeline. Finally, the lab runs an academy for upskilling experienced engineers who want to transition into Israel’s emerging hardware-design field. “The design of new chips is one of the most complicated tasks there is, but when you pull it off, you take giant leaps forward for humankind,” concludes Teman, who offers as examples of chips’ applications genome analysis, quantum computing, and hardware security. “There’s no doubt that the talent needed for this challenge exists in our universities, and we’re determined to leverage it for the benefit of all Israel.” 15 new academic courses $20+million in grants 85 patents ˜500journal papers The EnICS team today, with research heads Dr. Itamar Levy (second row, third from left); Prof. Alex Fish (second row, fourth from left); Prof. Adam (Adi) Teman (second row, fifth from left); Prof. Joseph Shor; and Dr. Osnat Keren (third row, first on the right). One Hardware Lab, One Giant Leap for Humanity
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