[EE599] Complex Digital ASIC System Design
Graduate course, USC, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2024
Term: Fall 2024
This course offers students the opportunity to apply their expertise in architecture and VLSI design to develop hardware for an application of their choice and complete a full chip design cycle within a 15-week timeline. The course culminates in students taping out their own chip using Intel’s advanced 16nm technology.
Students work in small teams (4–5 members) to design and fabricate their chips. Teams are required to include at least two members committed to participating in post-silicon bringup in an ASIC prototyping lab, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience from initial design to fabrication and validation.
As a TA, my responsibilities included:
• Weekly Team Sync-ups: Guiding students through the design process, ensuring project milestones were met, and providing technical assistance.
• Top Module Integration: Compiling and verifying individual design blocks submitted by students, designing the top-level module, and preparing the final design for fabrication.
• Post-Silicon Support: Assisting with chip bringup in the lab once fabricated designs were returned.