VLSI education in Britain

The author details how industry and government in the UK have assisted in the development of new VLSI courses in British educational institutions. She first examines how one semiconductor company, European Silicon Structures (ES2), is supplying British universities and polytechnics with the technical resources required for students to receive practical experience with VLSI design. She then examines how these institutions have combined together to enable even the less affluent of them to afford CAD (computer-aided design) tools and foundry services. Some examples of the fruits of this collaboration are presented to demonstrate its potential. The author concludes with a discussion of how a similar program is being implemented in the US by ES2´s sister company, United Silicon Structures (US2)