AUS elevates UAE's AI vision through hosting VLSI-SoC 2023

Held in collaboration with University of Sharjah and Khalifa University, the four-day international conference was held under the theme "Innovation for Trustworthy AI" and focused on the latest developments in Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI), a field of electronics and computer engineering that involves the integration of thousands, or even millions, of transistors and other electronic components on a single semiconductor chip; and System-on-Chip (SoC) design, with more than 50 research papers on this field submitted to the conference.

Sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing Technical Committee 10 Working Group 5, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Council on Electronic Design Automation, IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, Rohde & Schwarz as bronze sponsor, and Cadence as silver sponsor, the conference facilitated discussions on design architectures, circuits, devices, design automation, verification, testing and security, and spanning digital, analog and mixed-signal systems.

"VLSI-SoC 2023 represented an essential milestone in semiconductor design in order to optimize and secure the use of AI applications. We have hosted visionaries from industry and academia, collectively forging new horizons in the field. The conference not only represents a hub of cutting-edge research but it also aligns with the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 and builds on the interest of UAE in using AI to improve their services to the community," said Dr. Fadi Aloul, Dean of the AUS College of Engineering and Chair of the Conference.

In addition to the main sessions, the conference featured a lineup of keynote speakers who shared profound insights in their respective fields. Dr. John Christopher Clifton, Head of Technology Exploration at Sony Semiconductor Solutions Europe, discussed "Addressing the Challenge: GaN Device for User Equipment Applications."

Professor Stavros Iezekiel, an authority in photonic integrated circuits from the University of Cyprus, spoke about "Photonic Integrated Circuits for Space," while Anton Klotz, Director for Academia in Cadence Design Systems, Germany, explored "How EDA Benefits from the AI Revolution."

Dr. Lutfi Al Basha, Professor in Electrical Engineering and Conference Program Co-Chair, stated: "The VLSI-SoC conference series has a rich history of driving innovation and knowledge exchange. This year's program was no exception, with a diverse array of speakers and sessions that inspired and informed attendees. We fostered meaningful discussions and forged new collaborations."

The conference included luncheon keynotes, including a presentation by Professor Baker Mohammad from Khalifa University, UAE, and Professor Fadi Kurdahi from UC Irvine, California, United States.

Students attending the conference were able to showcase their research through posters in the PhD Forum and Student Forum held on the third day.

Anton Klotz, Program Director at Cadence, said: “As a leading microelectronics company, Cadence understands the importance of educating the next generation in this field. Microelectronics complexity is increasing exponentially, demanding a skilled workforce for innovation in communication, entertainment, production, security and health monitoring. The UAE's prestigious universities attract global talent. The VLSI-SoC conference promotes knowledge sharing among academics in microelectronics, benefiting education and research. Cadence proudly supports this conference and local universities.”

Afzal Syed, Head-Market Segment, Industrial Electronics, Components, Research and Universities at Rohde & Schwarz Emirates, said: “We are extremely pleased to have sponsored VLSI-SoC 2023 at the American University of Sharjah. Supporting this premier international conference taking place here in UAE gave us the opportunity not only to contribute to the exchange of ideas but also to showcase our latest innovations in the field. We enjoyed engaging with the academic and industrial research community to explore together cutting-edge solutions for the latest design and optimization challenges of very large-scale integration and system-on-chip design.”