With constant push to remake ICs, demand for VLSI engrs is surging

Semiconductor engineering or very large-scale integration (VLSI) refers to the designing, implementation, production, assembly, testing, marking, and packaging of a chip as a whole.

- Shivananda Koteshwar

VLSI is commonly known as chip design. VLSI is a method that generates integrated circuits (ICs) – it integrates millions of transistor-based circuits into a single chip in multiple applications like computing, communication, storage, networking, digital signal processing (DSP), micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), radio frequency (RF), consumer electronics, cryptography, cryptocurrencies, automobiles, robotics, space applications, the health industry, smart buildings, and internet of things (IoT).

Devices and gadgets have become critical to our lives, and all these require application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or systems-on-a-chip (SoC). The boundaries of technology are being pushed to build smaller, more powerful, more efficient and more intelligent ICs. Today, we fit more than 50 billion transistors into a single IC. Examples of this are our smartphones, home appliances, communication devices, network, storage, gaming, and vehicles. With this constant push to design, build and remake ICs with new features in a short span, we have a massive demand for skilled VLSI designers.