Mentor Graphics collaborates with UNNC to open IC design lab

CHINA: Mentor Graphics Corp. announced the opening of a new Mentor-sponsored electronics design laboratory at The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), Zhejiang province.

As part of a mutual agreement, Mentor has donated more than $10 million in EDA software and support to enable UNNC students to graduate with in-depth knowledge of leading-edge design methodologies.

The first Sino-foreign university in China, UNNC’s student population has grown from over 250 to more than 5,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students since 2004. With internationalization at the heart of its development, UNNC is effective in bringing industry-leading technology to the Chinese market.

“UNNC is enthusiastic about the new electronics design laboratory sponsored by Mentor Graphics,” said Prof. Gethin Roberts, dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, UNNC. “As China’s IC industry continues to develop rapidly, engineering students can feel confident in addressing the expanding need for designers knowledgeable in the most current design tools and methodologies.”

Under the auspices of the Mentor Higher Education Program (HEP), the lab at UNNC is poised to become a center of excellence for future engineers in the region. In addition to donated software, Mentor is opening on-line support and providing material to quickly enable UNNC to develop a leading-edge teaching and research program for designing very large-scale ICs.

“Highly talented electronics engineers are in great demand worldwide, particularly in fast-growing China,” said Danny Perng, VP, PacRim, Mentor Graphics. “Our collaboration with Nottingham will help ensure that engineering students at the university are well-prepared for their careers in IC design.”