The following is a press release from Xinyx Design.

Muntinlupa City, Philippines – The second edition of Unlocked, the highly anticipated national competition designed to promote integrated circuit (IC) design and semiconductor innovation, concluded recently (September 20) with the announcement of this year’s Champions and runners-up and the conferment of lifetime achievement awards to Diosdado “Dado” Banatao and Dr Teresita Fortuna.

Unlocked, hosted by Xinyx Design at the Tanghalang Haribon in Insular Life Corporate Center, Alabang, brought together the brightest undergraduate engineering minds from universities across the Philippines to showcase cutting-edge ideas aimed at revolutionizing the tech industry. 

The event, with the theme “From Problems to Possibilities: Building Tomorrow’s Cities Today,” emphasized the capability of homegrown innovation to address urban challenges and drive the future of the high-technology industry. Keynote speaker was newly appointed Education Undersecretary Peter Irving Corvera who represented Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara.  

Named 2024 Champion in 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 proposal won P70,000 for the five students who worked on it.

First runner-up was Colegio de Muntinlupa for their “Texto: Real-Time Audio-Visual Speech Recognition and Transcription using Multimodal Deep Learning Algorithm for the Hearing Impaired’’ entry, which won P20,000.

Second runner-up and winning P10,000 was the Pamantasan Lungsod ng Maynila for their “Unmanned Amphibious Robot in Aiding Post-Typhoon Heavy Flooding Response Using LoRa-based Communication and YOLOv5’’ entry.

There was another set of three winners or “Olympians” in the IC Design Olympics category. Declared 2024 Champion was Mindanao State University (Iligan Institute of Technology) for its “PowerNap Sage:Advancing Home Energy Management with Intelligent Control and User-Friendly App” entry. It is for this same entry that MSU was also declared Custom Layout winner.

Meanwhile, the Technological University of the Philippines Manila won the Annual Analog Circuit Design category.

Beyond the Competition: A national call to action

More than just a platform for students to display their talents, Unlocked 2024 is part of Xinyx’s broader mission to address the national engineering gap and encourage more young Filipinos to pursue careers in microelectronics and IC design. 

The Philippines faces a looming shortage of 128,000 semiconductor professionals by 2028—a goal that Xinyx, along with industry partners, is committed to supporting through initiatives like Unlocked.

“Unlocked is a national call to action,” said Charade Avondo, President of Xinyx Design. “We designed this competition 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.“

Recognizing excellence and collaboration

In addition to the competition, Unlocked 2024 featured a variety of activities that underscored the collaboration needed between industry, academia, and government to secure the future of the semiconductor industry. These included panel discussions, the IC Design Olympics, and an exhibition showcasing the work of last year’s finalists.

One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the prestigious Philippine IC Design Award to Diosdado “Dado” Banatao and Dr Teresita Fortuna for their contributions to the advancement of semiconductor innovation and education in the country.

Dado Banatao, a technopreneur and Silicon Valley pioneer, revolutionized personal computing by developing the first PC chipset and graphics accelerator chip, innovations that laid the groundwork for modern microprocessors and computers. 

Through his venture capital firm and initiatives in the Philippines, he has consistently supported Filipino startups and young engineers, fostering an environment where technology and talent can thrive.

Dr. Teresita Fortuna has been a driving force in microelectronics education in the Philippines. As the former Regional Director of DOST-NCR and the current College Administrator of Colegio de Muntinlupa (CDM), she has championed the integration of IC design and microelectronics into the engineering curricula, leading efforts to develop state-of-the-art facilities at CDM. 

Her initiatives have enabled students to access cutting-edge EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools and brought together industry, government, and academia through the creation of the Muntinlupa Innovation and Design (MIND) Hub, a facility designed to maximize educational resources for microelectronics and drive innovation.

Government support and call for action

While Unlocked seeks to bridge the gap between academia and industry, a whole-of-nation approach is crucial for achieving the Philippines’ semiconductor goals. Xinyx Design called on the government to reinforce the efforts of industry and academia by implementing policies that support workforce development, research funding, and talent retention.

In his keynote address, Education Undersecretary Corvera emphasized the need for sustained collaboration between the government, industry, and educational institutions to build a robust talent pipeline.

Ms Avondo commented, “Additionally, the government can play a more active role in promoting Electronics Engineering as a viable and attractive career path. 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, driving innovation and making a lasting impact on global society. Further, 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.

The road ahead

As the event concluded, there was an overwhelming sense of purpose: Unlocked is more than a competition; it’s the launchpad for building the future of the Philippine semiconductor industry. With students equipped with industry-standard tools, mentors, and the backing of key stakeholders, the Philippines is well-positioned to make strides in closing the semiconductor talent gap and ensuring its place in the global tech ecosystem.For more information, visit our website at https://www.xinyxdesign.com /or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/xinyxdesign/. – Rappler.com