Modern system on chip challenges demand development of new skills in electronic engineering graduates

The ever-increasing demands of the System on Chip (SoC) market have created a compelling event for a new abstraction level for hardware design and verification. Unfortunately these same demands are hampering companies´ abilities to develop the necessary skills in their existing engineering staff. The ideal place to develop the necessary skills for the next generation of hardware design and verification engineers is at the university level. This paper will outline the combination of skills necessary to equip electronic engineering graduates to be more attractive to leading SoC semiconductor producers, and will highlight successful implementations of such a curriculum at universities in the United States, Europe, and Japan.