System-on-Chip Design is not mere micro-chip design, but rather expands from this topic into several other areas which traditionally have not been in the scope of micro-chip design. It involves a lot more than the understanding of micro-electronics and computer design.
Engineers with an expertise in this field are currently not available to the extent needed for R&D and production. It is also expected internationally that this need will even increase in the foreseeable future.
The current situation in the Graz area for offering a course package on System-on-Chip Design is very unique. There is a strong interest from several groups at the university which want to push this topic in a combined effort. The background of these groups is covering many of the core topics of System-on-Chip Design already now. The following list roughly sketches these existing areas of competence:
· Digital design
· Embedded systems design
· Hardware-software co-design
· DSP algorithms design
· Design for low power
· Analogue design
· Design methodology