In the recent news, researchers at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) have successfully concluded the testing of Pakistan’s first indigenously-designed microprocessor, called NTiny-E. The embedded microprocessor chip was developed by the research team of the NUST School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS).
The Indigenously-Designed Microprocessor Can be Used in Every Consumer Electronic Product
Furthermore, Principal Dr. Mohammad Ajmal Khan, Dr. Rizwan Riaz, and Assistant Professor Dr. Rehan shared details of the project on Monday. They stated that semiconductor chips were at the heart of all electronic devices and consumer appliances that people use every day. Worldwide semiconductor sales reached $556 billion in 2021 but Pakistan has not been able to profit from this lucrative market.
The indigenously-designed microprocessor project was is an in-house design as opposed to the common practice of using open-source cores or foreign collaboration. This makes NTiny-E a truly indigenous product that provides the design team complete leverage and control over all aspects of the chip, they said. NUST selected the world’s largest and leading commercial foundry, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for chip fabrication.
An Important Milestone in the National Semiconductor Landscape
“This demonstrates the researchers’ ability to design chips that are compliant with international industrial design and fabrication standards. The event marks an important milestone in the national semiconductor landscape and puts Pakistan another step ahead on the path towards the realization of Quaid’s vision of self-reliance,” read a statement issued by NUST.
This will facilitate researchers and industrial product developers to design and manufacture products based on the indigenously-designed microprocessor, NTiny-E. The design and development team were led by Dr. Rehan Ahmed. Other team members were Shaheer Sajid, Qazi Shahidullah, Abdul Moeed, and Syed Talha Imam.
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