UlkaSemi Ushers in VLSI Upskilling in Bangladesh
UlkaSemi has launched a VLSI Training Institute in Bangladesh, where semiconductor professionals with around 45 years of collective experience—including graduates of BUET and Stanford—will conduct instruction. The initiative aims to enable students to learn IC layout design, IC physical design, and circuit design within the country, rather than having to go abroad. The skills development training is scheduled to begin in January, with admission tests for applicants.
The UlkaSemi VLSI Training Institute was inaugurated on Tuesday, November 11, at Niketan in the Gulshan area of the capital.
Introducing the operations of UlkaSemi at the event, COO Dr. Mizan Rahman stated that UVTI will provide a six-month training program focused on semiconductor design. He added that students will receive university coursework credit equivalent to three credits for this training. Following this, trainees will undergo an additional three-month placement at UlkaSemi. Of the total participants, 30 percent are expected to be women.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said, “UlkaSemi has positioned Bangladesh at the center of global knowledge. UlkaSemi is advancing at the speed of a meteor, while academia is lagging. We need to bridge this gap. Therefore, targeting industry demand, we will introduce courses in nanotechnology, data science, AI, and ULSI in the coming days. Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority will facilitate oversight. We will review the curriculum every year.”
He further noted that a fab-lab is being established at BUET, which is near completion. Soon, VLSI-focused mid-short term, mid-term, and long-term courses will be launched there.
Taiyeb added that on Monday he presented to the Planning Advisor the justification for establishing 18 fab-labs across universities. Additionally, the Learning and Earning project has been redesigned. For workers required to produce chipsets in local industries, the government will cover six months of their training costs. Industrial firms may provide training in exchange for employment commitments. Universities such as BUET, KUET, CUET, and UIU may collaborate in this initiative, while UlkaSemi can train university faculty, who may then serve as instructors.
He said, “One of the key objectives of the July Revolution is employment. If we want to build a knowledge-based society and ensure a better future for youth, academia, government, and industry must work together. Universities leading in research should move forward. Within the next two years, once IST is ready, we will collaborate with UlkaSemi to develop the latest industry-grade technologies here in the country.”
In his welcome remarks, CEO Enayetur Rahman stated, “In our 18-year journey, we have launched this VLSI Training Institute to build skilled manpower. The objective of training is not only employment; it is to protect national sovereignty in chip technology through knowledge and experience exchange. For this, our education system must be restructured.”
The event was attended by academicians and industry specialists from BUET, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Daffodil International University, United International University, the Military Institute of Science and Technology, and Green University of Bangladesh. Among them, BUET Head of Department Professor, Dr. A.B.M. Harun-ur-Rashid, AIUB Associate Professor Dr. Shahriar Masud Rizvi, MIST Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering (EECE) Associate Professor Lieutenant Colonel Md. Toufiq Amin, NorthSouth University Professor and Dean Dr. Sajjad Hossain, Dhaka University Electrical and Electronic Engineering Associate Professor Dr. Mainul Hossain, University of Asia Pacific Professor EEE Department Professor Dr. G. R. Ahmed Jamal were present at the innagural session.
VLSI (Very Large-Scale Integration) is a technology that enables millions of transistors to be integrated onto a single silicon chip to build digital circuits.
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