In the IC Design Olympics competition, which had different sets of participants, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) was named the 2024 Overall Champion, securing victories in two categories: Custom Layout and Digital Design. TUP Manila claimed the top spot in the Analog Circuit Design category.
At the conclusion of the second edition of Unlocked on Sept. 20, technopreneur Diosdado “Dado” Banatao and educator Dr. Teresita Fortuna were conferred lifetime achievement awards for their significant contributions to the advancement of semiconductor innovation and education in the country.
Hosted by Xinyx Design at Tanghalang Haribon in Insular Life Corporate Center, Alabang, the competition showcased the brightest undergraduate engineering minds from across the Philippines.
With the theme “From Problems to Possibilities: Building Tomorrow’s Cities Today,” Unlocked 2024 highlighted homegrown innovations aimed at revolutionizing the tech industry and addressing urban challenges.
Beyond the competition, the event emphasized the need for collaboration between industry, academe, and the government to address the projected shortage of 128,000 semiconductor professionals by 2028, a gap Xinyx is committed to closing through initiatives like Unlocked, the company said in a statement.
The competition aims to encourage more young Filipinos to pursue careers in microelectronics and IC design.
“Unlocked is a national call to action,” said Xinyx Design president Charade Avondo in a statement.
“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.
The cutting-edge proposal of TUP utilizes AutoML-based Triphasic contrast-enhanced CT image analysis. It won P70,000 for the team of five TUP students.
Colegio de Muntinlupa claimed the first runner-up position for its “Texto: Real-Time Audio-Visual Speech Recognition and Transcription,” earning P20,000. Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila’s “Unmanned Amphibious Robot for Post-Typhoon Flooding Response’” was declared second runner-up.
In the IC Design Olympics category, TUP Manila also took home the Annual Analog Circuit Design award, while Mindanao State University bagged the Custom Layout category.
Banatao, a technopreneur and Silicon Valley pioneer, revolutionized personal computing by developing the first PC chipset and graphics accelerator chip, innovations that laid the groundwork for modern microprocessors and computers.
Through his venture capital firm and initiatives in the Philippines, he has consistently supported Filipino startups and young engineers, fostering an environment where technology and talent can thrive.
Fortuna has been a driving force in microelectronics education in the Philippines. As a
former regional director of DOST-NCR and the current College Administrator of Colegio de Muntinlupa (CDM), she has championed the integration of IC design and microelectronics into the engineering curricula, leading efforts to develop state-of-the-art facilities at CDM.
Her initiatives have enabled students to access cutting-edge EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools and brought together industry, government, and academia through the creation of the Muntinlupa Innovation and Design (MIND) Hub, a facility designed to maximize educational resources for microelectronics and drive innovation.
