FILIPINO-OWNED integrated circuit (IC) design solutions company Xinyx Design last week held the second edition of Unlocked, a national competition that aims to help address the lack of semiconductor professionals in the country.

The competition aims to promote IC design and semiconductor innovation in the Philippines, the company said, featuring a variety of activities that highlight the collaboration needed between the industry, academia, and government to boost the semiconductor sector.

“This is designed not only to identify top talent, but also to create a sustainable ecosystem where students, industry leaders, and educators can collaborate to close the talent gap and ensure the Philippines remains competitive in the global semiconductor market,” Charade Avondo, president of Xinyx Design, said in a statement.

“Additionally, the government can play a more active role in promoting Electronics Engineering as a viable and attractive career path,” Ms. Avondo said.

She added that by investing in the marketing and promotion of this field as early as the grade school level and beyond, the Philippines can position itself as a global hub for semiconductor talent and help drive innovation.

“The creation of a Philippine Institute of Microelectronics, modeled after Taiwan’s successful rise as a leader in the semiconductor world, would serve as a national center for advanced research, training, and industry collaboration, ensuring the Philippines remains competitive on the global stage,” Ms. Avondo said.

At the start of the two-day event on Sept. 19, 13 finalists for the Innovation Challenge pitched to the technical and investors panel.

Day two featured the IC Design Olympics, which included a microelectronics test and challenges, and panel discussions. The awarding ceremonies for the Philippine IC Design Award 2024, the IC Design Olympics, and the Innovation Challenge were also held on that day.

Tech entrepreneur Dado Banatao won the Philippine IC Design Award this year, while the 2024 champion for the Unlocked Innovation Challenge was the Technological University of the Philippines (Manila) for their entry “LiverScan+: An Automated Detection and Diagnosis of Focal Liver Lesions through AutoML-Based Triphasic Contrast-Enhanced CT Image Analysis Using Jetson Nano.”

The five students who worked on the proposal won P70,000. — A.R.A. Inosante

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