Overview

Photo credit: Luca Pezzarossa.
Welcome to the Edu4Chip Summer School 2025 on Chip Design. The summer school offers an introduction to the chip design process from specification to testing including the use of open-source tool chains.

The summer school is organized by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in collaboration with Edu4Chip partner institutions and will take place in Denmark at the Technical University of Denmark campus in Kongens Lyngby (near Copenhagen).

The summer school is structured into two main parts:

  • Online intro-day (August 11th) – Covering fundamental concepts in chip and digital design, with interactive exercises and project introductions.
  • In-person program (August 18th to 22nd) – Held at DTU in Denmark, featuring in-depth lectures, hands-on activities, keynotes, and social events.

Target audience and scope

The summer school is designed for Bachelor students and Master students with a background in electrical engineering, computer science and engineering, or physics, the summer school emphasizes practical learning activities. PhD students are also welcome. Participants will acquire foundational knowledge of chip design workflows, develop skills in tools and methodologies, and explore cutting-edge developments in the field.

ECTS credit transfer and financial support

The Edu4Chip Summer School is organized within the framework of the Erasmus Blended Intensive Program (BIP), which allows for credit transfer among participating institutions. Upon successful completion within the BIP, students can be awarded 3 ECTS credits. For students enrolled at DTU, the summer school can be integrated into a more extensive 3-week special course, allowing them to earn 5 ECTS credits.

For details on financial support options, especially for students from Erasmus partner institutions and Edu4Chip partners, please refer to the Financial Support section.


Student pre-registration

Participation in the Edu4Chip Summer School is free of charge for students. However, due to limited capacity, we require all interested student participants to pre-register. This process helps us ensure a diverse and balanced group of students from different institutions and backgrounds.

To pre-register, please complete the Pre-registration by March 31th, 2025. After reviewing all applications, selected participants will receive a confirmation of admission via email and you will be prompted to the registration portal.

Important Information:

  • Pre-Registration deadline: February 28th, 2025
  • Student participation fee: Free of charge
  • What is included: All lectures, keynotes, program materials, snacks, and lunches.
  • Not included: Travel, accommodation, private expenses, and social activities (optional), which must be covered by participants.

For those in need of financial support for the expenses that are not included, please refer to the Financial support section for information on available funding options.


Student financial support

To support student participation in the Edu4Chip Summer School from countries outside Denmark, two financial support options are availble to help cover travel and accommodation costs.

Support via Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP)

The support via Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP) is available to students from any DTU Erasmus+ partner institutions. This support helps cover travel, accommodation, and other expenses for eligible participants.

Eligibility: Students enrolled at DTU Erasmus+ partner institutions. In the context of Edu4Chip, these are KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), and Tampere University (Finland). However, students from other institutions that are Erasmus+ partners of DTU might be elegible for this support. Please contact your institution's international/Erasmus office for application details and procedures.

Support via Edu4Chip

The Edu4Chip project can provides financial support for students from Edu4Chip partner institutions to cover travel, accommodation, and other expenses related to the participation in the summer school.

Eligibility: Students from all Edu4Chip partner universities .

More information and applications

If you are from one of the Edu4Chip partners, see the contact person in your institution below. If you are from another university, you might still be eligible for support via Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP), if your institution is an Erasmus+ partner of DTU. Please contact your institution's international/Erasmus office for application details and procedures.

For students from the Technical University of Munich (TUM):

Contact person: PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Michael Pehl
Mail: m.pehl@tum.de
Phone: +49 (89) 289 - 28252
Homepage: Link to homepage

For students from KTH Royal Institute of Technology:

Contact person: Prof. Ahmed Hemani
Mail: hemani@kth.se
Phone: +46 8 790 44 69
Homepage: Link to homepage

For students from Tampere University (TAU):

Contact person: Prof. Timo Hämäläinen
Mail: timo.hamalainen@tuni.fi
Phone: +35 8408490777
Homepage: Link to homepage

For students from Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT):

Contact person: Prof. Jean-Max Dutertre
Mail: dutertre@emse.fr
Phone: +33 (0)4 42 61 67 36
Homepage: Link to homepage

We encourage all interested students to apply early to secure funding support.


Program and content

Over six days, including the online introductory day, participants will engage in lectures, hands-on exercises, and keynotes delivered by leading academics and industry experts. The program highlights topics such as agile hardware design, analog/mixed-signal circuits, verification techniques, and asynchronous circuits.

The Edu4Chip Summer School is structured into two main parts: an Online intro-day and an In-person program in Copenhagen. Find below the schedule, and a detailed description of the content of the online intro-day, in-person lectures, keynotes, and other activities, as well as the learning objectives.

Schedule (tentative)

Online intro-day (August 11th)

The online into-day provides an overview of the Edu4Chip Summer School, covering fundamental concepts in chip and digital design. Participants will engage in interactive exercises and receive guidance on the student project to prepare for the in-person sessions. Find below a summary of the intro-day activities.

  • Introduction to the summer school
    An overview of the summer school, its objectives, and an introduction to the program, participants, and instructors.
  • Brush-up on digital design
    A refresher session focusing on essential digital design concepts to ensure all participants are aligned with the foundational knowledge.
  • Interactive web-based exercises
    Hands-on activities where participants will design and simulate an integrated circuit using open-source tools.
  • Outline of the student project
    Introduction to the student project, detailing objectives and expected outcomes. Projects will be carried out during the summer school.
  • Q&A and discussion session
    An interactive session for participants to engage with instructors, ask questions, and discuss key topics covered throughout the day and planned for the physical part of the summer school.

In-person program (August 18th to 22nd)

The in-person program offers a blend of lectures, hands-on activities, and keynotes. In addition to the lectures and keynotes, we also planned some activities to connect, relax, and explore both the academic environment and the vibe of Copenhagen. Find the details below.

Lectures

  • Chip Design Process Overview
    by Prof. Timo Hämäläinen, Tampere University
    This lecture provides an introductory overview of the chip design process, covering key steps from initial specification and architecture design to RTL development, verification, synthesis, physical design, fabrication, and final testing of the chip.
  • Agile Hardware Design in HDL
    by Prof. Martin Schoeberl, Technical University of Denmark
    This lecture introduces agile hardware design principles applied to HDL development, focusing on iterative and flexible design methodologies using Chisel to enhance productivity, adaptability, and rapid prototyping in digital circuit design.
  • Time-Discrete Analog Circuits
    by Dipl.-Ing. (Univ.) Markus Dietl, Technical University of Munich
    This lecture explores the principles of time-discrete analog circuits, focusing on their design, analysis, and applications in modern electronic systems where analog signals are processed at discrete time intervals.
  • Chip Design Process and Challenges
    by [To Be Announced]
    This lecture offers an in-depth overview of the chip design process, highlighting common challenges such as design complexity, power, I/O, clock distribution, etc.
  • Verification of Digital Circuits
    by the company Syosil
    This lecture, delivered by experts from Syosil, a Danish company specializing in verification solutions, covers the verification of digital circuits, focusing on methodologies and tools used to ensure design correctness (simulation, formal verification, etc.).
  • Systems on Chip and Interconnects
    by Assoc. Prof. Luca Pezzarossa, Technical University of Denmark
    This lecture focuses on systems-on-chip (SoC) architectures and interconnect technologies, exploring how different components communicate efficiently within complex chip designs to optimize performance and scalability.
  • Asynchronous Circuits
    by Emeritus Prof. Jens Sparsø, Technical University of Denmark
    This lecture introduces asynchronous circuits, which are digital circuits that operate without a global clock. This class of circuits can lead to advantages in terms of power efficiency, performance, and robustness compared to traditional synchronous designs.

Keynotes

  • From the 1st Transistor to FinFETs and Beyond
    by Assoc. Prof. Flemming Stassen, Technical University of Denmark
    This keynote explores the evolution of transistor technology, tracing its journey from the first prototypes to modern FinFETs, and providing insights into emerging trends and future advancements in the field.
  • Low-Power Hardware Support for AI
    by the company Demant
    This keynote presents and discusses hardware strategies for supporting AI applications on a constrained power budget, presented by experts from Demant, a leading company in hearing aid technology.
  • Basic Concepts in Modeling: A Discussion of George Box’s Famous Statement ‘All models are wrong, some are useful’ with a Strong Focus on Models in Chip Design
    by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Ecker, Infineon - Technical University of Munich
    An examination of modeling principles in chip design, reflecting on the balance between model simplicity and utility (tentative description).

Other activities

  • Quickfire introduction of students
    A fast-paced session where participants briefly introduce themselves to get to know each other.
  • Student presentations (counts as the exam)
    An interactive poster/presentation session where students present their project outcomes, followed by an evaluation to conclude the summer school.
  • Visit and tour of Copenhagen
    A tour to provide participants with an opportunity to explore the city’s vibe and architecture.
  • Hike and picnic in Dyrehaven (Deer Park)
    Outdoor walk and picnic in Dyrehaven (the Deer Park), known for the free-roaming deers.
  • Jogging route on DTU campus
    A casual group jogging session around the DTU campus.
  • Social dinner in Copenhagen
    A social dinner in Copenhagen for all the participants.

Learning objectives

A student who has successfully completed the summer school will be able to:

  • Explain the fundamentals of semiconductor devices.
  • Explain all steps in the chip design process.
  • Apply principles of agile hardware design to describe and implement digital systems.
  • Explain and analyze analog and mixed-signal design challenges.
  • Explain and use simple verification tools to ensure proper hardware functionality.
  • Describe the importance of sustainability for hardware designs.
  • Compare asynchronous circuits with synchronous designs to evaluate their advantages and limitations.
  • Illustrate the role and functionality of on-chip interconnects in modern chip architectures.

Questions and contacts

If you have any questions about the Edu4Chip Summer School, feel free to reach out to us. Whether you need more information about the program, registration process, participation grants, or logistics, we are here to help!

Contact person: Assoc. Prof. Luca Pezzarossa
Mail: lpez@dtu.dk
Homepage: Link to homepage
Edu4Chip - Joint Education for Advanced Chip Design in Europe is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Funded by the European Union
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