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Embedded
systems are computers (microprocessors) that are enclosed
(embedded) in customized hardware. Examples of embedded systems
are portable medical equipment, cellular phones, or consumer
electronics items. The global demand for semiconductors is
expected to remain robust in 2006 due to an increase in demand
for consumer electronics. According to the Semiconductor
Industry Association (SIA), the worldwide semiconductor sales
set a new record of 227.5 billion in 2005. This rapid growth has
opened a range of career opportunities in the embedded design
industry. There are over 130 chip design firms present in
India—the vast pool of talent and growing domestic market has
helped the country emerge as an important centre for chip
design. Last year, the industry witnessed major investments in
the country in R&D, an indicator of India’s potential with
respect to the talent available. A country traditionally
acknowledged for its software development capabilities is now
exhibiting its competency in the chip design industry. This
booming semiconductor industry promises 3.5 million jobs by
2015, according to a report by the Indian Semiconductor
Association (ISA) and global consulting company Frost &
Sullivan. Indian engineers have carved a niche for themselves by
making significant contributions to the development of
cutting-edge technology. India, with capabilities in very large
scale integration (VLSI) design and software development, has
potentially captured a larger share of the market by focusing on
these markets. It is no wonder that almost all of the top 10
semiconductor vendors have established design centers in India.
This has also contributed to the growth of the electronic design
automation (EDA) industry in India. Leading Indian IT companies
are also setting up product engineering and design services,
partnering with global chip majors. Today’s engineers,
therefore, have immense opportunities in hardware and embedded
design, developing integrated circuits (ICs); field-programmable
gate arrays (FPGAs) and systems-on-chips (SoCs), apart from
typical software development opportunities.
Embedded
systems market, which is one of the key drivers of Indian R&D
offshoring and is currently pegged at around US$ 25 billion
globally, growing at a 16% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).A
NASSCOM-Mckinsey study states that the domestic embedded systems
market for India is gearedto generate U.S. $9.5 billion and
exports worth U.S. $ 10 billion by the year 2008. This being a
niche field, companies are increasingly looking for
professionals with hands-on experience in digital application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design, physical design,
mixed signal IC design, verilog, VHDL or VHSIC, VLSI design,
circuit design and simulations, micro-controllers, digital PCB
design and routing. Expansion plans of various MNCs and recent
efforts by NASSCOM to play up India’s product development skills
suggest that embedded software would be India’s next sunrise
sector. However the Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA)
estimates that engineering colleges are meeting only 20 per cent
of the industry demand for chip design engineers. Organisations
spend a year and a half shaping young graduates even as the
courses in our educational institutions are outdated. Both
industry and academia would benefit if institutes introduce a
competent courseware and the industry gets involved in imparting
professional training in institutes.
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