University of Chittagong team wins VLSIthon 3.0

Team ‘Deviation’ from the University of Chittagong has won VLSIthon 3.0, a national competition aimed at developing skilled talent for Bangladesh’s emerging semiconductor industry. The winning team received BDT 100,000.

The final round and award ceremony of the third edition of the competition was held on Thursday at the Ulkasemi Dhaka Design Center in the capital.

Team ‘VoltX’ from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology became the first runner-up, while ‘Density Demons’ from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology secured the second runner-up position. The teams received BDT 60,000 and BDT 40,000, respectively.

A total of 206 students representing 106 teams from more than 30 universities across Bangladesh participated in the nearly six-week-long competition.

The event was organised by Ulkasemi, a local semiconductor industry company, in collaboration with the Ulkasemi VLSI Training Institute (UVTI), with American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) as an associate partner.

This year’s VLSIthon focused on Place and Route (PNR), an important stage of the integrated circuit (IC) design process. Participants first underwent training through seminars and workshops before competing in assessments on theoretical knowledge and Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools.

Following the initial assessment, the top 10 teams advanced to the next stage. The finalists were selected through case-solving and presentation sessions, where participants demonstrated their technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities and understanding of practical chip-design challenges.

AIUB Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Saiful Islam attended the award ceremony as chief guest. Dr Md Nazrul Islam, secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mohammed Enayetur Rahman, president and chief executive officer of Ulkasemi, attended as special guests.

Ulkasemi CEO Mohammed Enayetur Rahman said VLSIthon is helping bridge the gap between academic education and the practical requirements of the semiconductor industry.

He said several participants from previous editions of the competition are now working at organisations including Ulkasemi, demonstrating how such programmes can help prepare university students for careers in the industry.

Rahman also urged students interested in semiconductor careers to develop skills in VLSI and related chip-design technologies.

AIUB Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Saiful Islam said collaboration between universities and industry through initiatives such as VLSIthon would encourage more students to consider careers in the semiconductor sector.

The event was attended by students from the top 10 teams, faculty members and students from AIUB and other universities, UVTI trainers and students, and Ulkasemi officials.

As Bangladesh seeks to develop its semiconductor ecosystem, the availability of engineers with practical chip-design and VLSI expertise is becoming increasingly important. Industry-linked competitions such as VLSIthon can provide university students with exposure to professional tools and real-world design challenges while helping build a talent pipeline for the country's growing semiconductor sector.