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Bangladesh’s premier chip design competition, VLSIthon 3.0, began Thursday with an inaugural ceremony at the American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) campus in Dhaka.
The third edition has attracted a record 210 participants from 106 teams representing more than 30 universities, making it the largest VLSI competition held in Bangladesh to date.
Organised by semiconductor company Ulkasemi in collaboration with the Ulkasemi VLSI Training Institute (UVTI) and supported by AIUB, the competition has introduced a Place and Route (PnR) category for the first time, reflecting growing demand for specialised skills in the global semiconductor industry.
AIUB Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Saiful Islam inaugurated the event as chief guest. Ulkasemi CEO and President Mohammed Enayetur Rahman attended as special guest.
Also present were Ulkasemi Chairman Dr Arifa Chowdhury Rahman, AIUB Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Abdur Rahman, Associate Professor Dr Shahriar Masud Rizvi and PC Builders Bangladesh founder Ananyo Zaman.
“The record participation of 106 teams demonstrates that Bangladeshi youth are proactively preparing for the global semiconductor industry,” Rahman said. He added that with appropriate policy support and patronage, Bangladesh’s semiconductor industry could become a multi-billion-dollar sector by 2030.
Professor Saiful Islam said the strong participation reflected students’ growing interest in high-tech engineering and stressed the importance of such competitions in developing skilled professionals.
Following the inauguration, participants took part in a daylong technical workshop covering Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools and theoretical fundamentals.
The main competition will be held on August 15, when the participating teams will tackle industry-relevant design challenges.
The competition carries a total prize pool of Tk 200,000.