When you think of the Dutch chip industry, Eindhoven and ASML spring to mind. But there is also a lot going on in the field of semiconductors in the Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen region. Simon discovered this during his work placement at NXP in Nijmegen. As an AI student, he had hardly any idea about the sector beforehand. Three months on, his perspective has changed completely.
This summer, Simon completed his Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence at Radboud University. Chips and semiconductors hardly featured at all during his studies. Of course, he’d heard of NXP and knew that chips were important, but what exactly lay behind that industry and what role Nijmegen played in it? He didn’t know.
Through a lecturer, Simon ended up at NXP more or less by chance. He was keen to experience what it was like to work for a large, international technology company and to discover what role his own field of expertise played there. “How does data science fit into such a large tech company? I found that interesting to explore.”
Simon studied Artificial Intelligence at Radboud University Nijmegen
Using AI in chip production
During his work placement, Simon joined the data science team and worked in both Nijmegen and Eindhoven. His task? To investigate how AI can help to detect errors more quickly during the chip manufacturing process.
During one of the production stages, very small connections are made to chips at lightning speed. If something goes wrong during this process, it is sometimes only discovered afterwards under a microscope. That’s a shame, because by that point a great deal of time and money has already been invested in the chip.
Simon therefore developed an AI model that learns what normal sensor data from the production machine looks like. If the signal deviates, this may indicate that something is going wrong. His research was intended to determine whether such an approach has potential in practice.
“It was a really great way to put what I’d learnt during my studies into practice.” At the same time, his work placement gave him an insight into topics that NXP and the semiconductor industry are working on, but which were covered much less extensively in his degree programme. One example is Edge AI: AI that can run locally, close to where the data is generated, on relatively small and energy-efficient hardware. According to Simon, it would be interesting if students were introduced to such applications earlier in their studies, precisely because there is also a great deal of innovation taking place in this field in the Netherlands.
A world that turns out to be much bigger than expected
Through his work placement, Simon gained his first real insight into the world behind chips. He saw just how innovative the sector is, how many people and disciplines are involved, and what technology is actually being developed and produced right here in Nijmegen.
“Of course, I knew beforehand that NXP was based here, but I had no idea just how much semiconductor development and production actually takes place in Nijmegen. I thought that was really cool.”
What also struck him was just how broad the sector is. Simon himself came into the field via AI and data science, but the semiconductor industry also requires software developers, engineers, researchers and technical business specialists. “You encounter the entire supply chain here. That means you can also go in many different directions within a company like this.”
It is precisely this perspective, he believes, that is still lacking among many students. ‘Semicon’ can quickly sound abstract and technical, whilst students from all sorts of degree programmes can apply their own expertise to the field.
Bring the world of chips closer to students
According to Simon, this also presents an opportunity for educational institutions and businesses. Introduce students to the sector at an earlier stage. For example, through guest lectures, company visits and practical examples of what goes on within the semiconductor industry.
“That makes it much more engaging. You’ll gain some of the context during your studies that I only acquired during my work placement.”
Work placements play a key role in this. Not only do they give students a glimpse behind the scenes, but they also help them gain the knowledge and experience needed to work in the sector later on. For those starting out, a work placement can serve as an important bridge into the sector. “You get to know technology and working environments that you wouldn’t normally come across during a university degree.”
Conversely, students also have something to offer businesses. “We bring with us the latest knowledge from our studies, are used to quickly picking up new tools and techniques, and learn a great deal about new developments within our field.”
Perhaps a future in semiconductors
For Simon, at any rate, the work placement has certainly set things in motion. Whilst semiconductors had previously been barely on his radar, he would now like to work in the sector. Following his work placement, discussions took place with NXP about the possibility of retaining him, but at that time there was no suitable junior role within machine learning, AI or data science. They are still in touch.
Simon would prefer to find a job in the Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen region. And what about other students who get the chance to do an internship in the semiconductor industry? He doesn’t need to spend long convincing them.
“I can definitely recommend an internship at NXP. It’s really interesting to discover just how much technology goes into it and everything that happens before a chip is finally produced.”
Curious about the potential and ambitions of the chip sector in the Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen region? Discover ‘The Future of Chips’ at Lifeport Semicon – Lifeport.
