Two of the most in-demand career options in today’s time are VLSI and embedded systems. VLSI, a very large-scale integration, creates IC, integrated chips with thousands of transistors on a single chip. According to market research, the VLSI market is seeing immense growth. In 2021, it was at 6.0% CAGR, and it is expected to reach US$ 81.09 Billion in 2029. The reason behind this growth is that there is demand for grind and polish processes in manufacturing ICs, chips, semiconductors, etc.
There has been an increase in the demand for hybrid and electric vehicles; semiconductor manufacturing has also increased. It is safe to say that this is a perfect time to get into this field, as it is booming. Often people think that VLSI is difficult to learn but it is comparatively easy to learn by taking a VLSI design course; most courses help you learn about various VLSI tools, HDL coding concepts, circuits, verilog, etc., that will help you to move forward in your career as a VLSI design engineer.
Table Of Contents
VLSI Engineers For Verification
How to Become a VLSI Engineer?
Job Prospects of VLSI Design
There has been a progress in computer science, finance, medical machines, etc., due to VLSI design. This industry offers several job prospects with a strong foundation in VLSI designing. Some of the job prospects are:
- Application VLSI Engineers-
They engage with clients and work in R&D. The engineers have to travel a lot and take customer requirements into consideration. Skills required for this job are good communication skills and interpersonal and customer service abilities. There are subdomains, too, such as application engineer for corporate and filed.
- VLSI Chip Design Engineers
They design chips with the help of tools. This job does require good communication skills to exchange ideas with colleagues. The subdomains in this area consist of FPGA, field programmable gate arrays, Design for the test, PCB, etc.
- VLSI Engineers For Verification
After the design process is complete, the engineer’s job is to check and verify the chips. You must be familiar with the coding languages such as VHDL and Verilog. You can easily brush up on these skills by taking an online course on VLSI designing. The verification engineers can work in various subdomains such as front-end verification, product validation, hardware software, etc.
- Library Developer
The library developer is responsible for designing, creating, and maintaining the digital libraries used in VLSI circuits. They must create a library of all the standard components and generate the layout and design rules. They also have to ensure that the library components are compatible with industry standards and the latest design tools.
- Board Validation Engineer
A Board Validation Engineer has to validate and verify the design of PCBs, that is, printed circuit boards. They have to check for errors in the layout, verify the data accuracy, and ensure that the components are placed correctly. They are responsible for evaluating the PCB’s performance and other parts/components. They also check the signal integrity and power consumption.
VLSI Design Engineer Salary
When it comes to the VLSI design engineer salary, there are many factors to consider. In India, factors such as experience, city, company, etc., play a major role in deciding the engineers’ salary.
A fresher in India can earn around ₹3 lakhs to ₹5 lakhs annually. But, with higher experience, the salary increases. For example, an experienced VLSI design engineer in Bangalore or Mumbai can earn around ₹ 8 lakh per annum. If you look at average figures, the salary in India ranges between ₹ 1.4 Lakhs to ₹ 22.2 Lakhs, and the average annual salary is ₹ 4.5 Lakhs.
In fact, a Google VLSI Design and Verification Engineer earns between ₹ 24.0 Lakhs to ₹ 35.0 Lakhs. When it comes to overseas, in the United States of America, the VLSI engineers earn roughly $105,000 per annum. However, with adequate skills and experience, you can increase your chances of getting high pay. There are several options available, such as you can take a VLSI design course that will help you to gain the required skills.
VLSI Design Engineer Salary By City
Below is the average annual salary of freshers working as VLSI design engineers. Remember that as you gain experience, your pay will increase, and your salary depends on your skills too.
City | Annual Average Salary |
New Delhi | ₹ 2.0 – ₹ 4.6 Lakhs per year |
Bangalore | ₹6.6 Lakhs per year |
Hyderabad | ₹4.9 Lakhs per year |
Pune | ₹4.4 Lakhs per year |
Chennai | ₹4.0 Lakhs per year |
Mumbai | ₹ 3.0 Lakhs per year |
Mysore | ₹ 4.2 Lakhs per year |
Tirupati | ₹2.0 Lakhs per year |
How to Become a VLSI Engineer?
To become a VLSI Engineer, one needs to have a degree in EEE, electronics, or a similar field where one has to study the circuits. They can work in the semiconductor industry. Individuals who have worked in IT and computer science can also work as VLSI engineers if they have a thorough understanding of semiconductors, software development, and digital foundations. To brush up on your skills, you can take an online course to help you learn the fundamentals of VLSI design.
So, if you want to work as a VLSI engineer, follow these points:
- After you have completed your graduation, you must learn about the VLSI methods and their implementations.
- Brush your problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills.
- You must also learn to solve design circuit and boolean problems using logic gates.
- Be updated with the latest trends in the field and technological trends. You can read blogs, journals, and any news related to the field and be up-to-date.
Conclusion
The world is going digital, and there has been an increase in the use of electronic devices. From basic calculators to automatic vehicles, all these consist of embedded systems that use microprocessors and microcontrollers. So, the need for professionals will always be there to develop these ICs, and integrated circuits. VLSI engineers have different fields to explore, such as automotive, telecommunication, electronics, etc. So, with the growth in demand for new technologies, VLSI engineers will always be in demand.