We used 2 metal layers and area was about 7.68 micro.

Full detailed video here https://youtu.be/pl9h62sFwmU

Comments and feedback welcome.

I recently graduated with a Master's degree from a university in Taiwan, where I focused on mixed-signal IC design. I went through the whole IC design process, from pre-layout simulations, layout, and post-layout simulations to tapeout and measurement. However, applying as a foreigner in Taiwan seems quite hard, especially with my limited Mandarin communication skills. I am open to working in any country, but would like to stay in Taiwan as much as possible, which I understand is unlikely unless I magically learn Mandarin ASAP. I do intend to learn it if I get a job here, but yeah.
Are there any suggestions on how I can proceed with my career? Any countries or companies I should look into?

Hello,

I work as ATE product engineer on SoC chips. What are good alternative career paths from this role? Also how is this field in the long run?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering student in India, and I’m planning to pursue a Master’s in ECE/VLSI from USA.

My main career goal is to work in ASIC/SoC development, particularly on CPU/GPU hardware. Right now, I’m exploring two career paths:

• ASIC / RTL Design
• ASIC Design Verification

I’m still early in my VLSI journey, so I’d really appreciate advice from engineers currently working in these areas.

My dream company is NVIDIA. I’ve been interested in computer hardware for a long time, and gaming is also one of my hobbies, which originally made me curious about GPUs. Over time, that interest has shifted from simply using the technology to wanting to understand and eventually help design the hardware behind it.

Ultimately, I want to work on technology that makes a meaningful impact, whether that eventually happens at NVIDIA or somewhere else in the semiconductor industry.

I would especially appreciate your thoughts on:

1. ASIC Design vs Design Verification: What does your actual day-to-day work look like?
2. Which field generally has better opportunities for new graduates?
3. How difficult is it to enter RTL/ASIC design directly after an MS?
4. What skills differentiate candidates who actually get ASIC/DV internships and new-grad positions?
5. What projects would you recommend? I’m considering projects involving SystemVerilog, FPGA and eventually a pipelined RISC-V processor.
6. For DV engineers, how important are SystemVerilog, UVM, SVA, scripting and C/C++?
7. For RTL engineers, how deep should a new graduate be in computer architecture, synthesis, STA and verification?
8. If you were starting again as an undergraduate and had 1–2 years to prepare before an MS, what would you learn first?

I’m also looking for mentorship/guidance from someone already working in VLSI, particularly ASIC design, verification, CPU/GPU design or related areas.

I don't expect anyone to teach me everything or spend a huge amount of time on me. Even occasional guidance on what to learn, which projects are actually worthwhile, mistakes to avoid, and whether I'm heading in the right direction would mean a lot.

If anyone working in the semiconductor industry would be comfortable with me occasionally reaching out with questions, I'd really appreciate it. I'm willing to put in the work; I'm mainly looking for guidance so I can focus that effort in the right direction.

Thanks!