A former group director of California-based Synopsys Inc (a leading supplier of software, IP and services used in semiconductor design and manufacturing; annual sales: $1.4 billion or Rs.6,300 crore), Prof. Srikanth Jadcherla is now promoter chairman and chief executive of Hyderabad-based Synopsys Electronics Education and Research (SEER) Akademi Pvt. Ltd (estb. 2009). SEER Akademi currently offers study programmes in very large scale integration (VLSI) design and embedded systems in NITS, Mirza (Assam), BVRIT and RGMCET (Andhra Pradesh), Birla Institute of Technology (Bhubaneswar) and Ganpat University (Mehsana, Gujarat).Newspeg. On January 28, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad received a donation of Rs.1.5 crore from Synopsys, which was facilitated by SEER Akademi. Earlier in January last year, SEER signed an agreement with JNTU under which the latter will conduct a two-year MS degree programme in VLSI and embedded systems, based on the curriculum and instructional services provided by SEER Akademi.
Direct talk. SEER Akademi is committed to providing contemporary and industry-relevant programmes in semiconductor technology and embedded systems, widely used in the manufacture of all electronic goods including computers and mobile phones. SEERs USP is our curriculum which has been designed by a highly-qualified team of academics with strong inputs from industry, and intensive faculty training. Moreover we offer our partner universities expert advice on how to set up state-of-the-art laboratories required to deliver hands-on training, says Jadcherla, an electrical engineering graduate of IIT-Madras and a postgrad in computational science and engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Genesis. SEER Akademi was launched in 2009 in California to popularise the companys Synopsys university curriculum and meet the growing demand of the semiconductor industry for task-ready professionals. I established SEER Akademi in September 2009 after becoming aware of the critical need in India for engineers well-versed in VLSI and embedded systems technologies. According to a study conducted by the Indian Semiconductor Associ-ation, Indian colleges graduate 280,000 electronics engineers annually, against an industry demand for 500,000. One in seven such jobs is in the area of VLSI/embedded systems while the remaining is in electronics and systems design, says Jadcherla.
Future plans. Jadcherlas objective is to make India a world leader in microelectronics education, research and entrepreneurship. Over the next year, affiliated colleges of JNTU, Hyderabad will offer SEER Akademi programmes and benefit from our excellent curriculum design and state-of-the-art labs. Our long-term objective is to take our world-class curriculum and global classroom model to every engineering college in India to enhance the quality of electronics education countrywide, says Jadcherla.
Swati Roy (Bangalore)