Talk: Opportunities of the Integrated Circuits Industry in Colombia (“Oportunidades de la Industria de los Circuitos Integrados en Colombia”)

Abstract: The design and manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs) is a topic that is not usually explored in the curricula of electronic engineering programs in Colombia, mainly due to the lack of a consolidated electronics industry that demands professionals with knowledge in this field. But this panorama is about to change, given that the foundations are being laid for economic growth in this sector of industry in Colombia. This change is based on three opportunities.  First, recent studies of the global labor market show the shortage of electronic engineers with competencies in the electronic design of VLSI systems in the next years. Second, there are global initiatives such as those of IEEE and Google for the democratization of integrated circuit design that have made it possible to consolidate free IC design tools and finance projects in developing countries for the manufacture of ICs. Third, a bill filed on July 27, 2024 in the Congress of the Republic seeks to promote the development of a Colombian industry in electronics and semiconductor devices.