Degree: Masters on System-on-Chip
University: University of Southampton
ARM Ltd. is a leading company in the CPU design area and its products dominate the market. My academic background matches ARM’s main business area, thus working for ARM would be a great opportunity to get in touch with cutting edge technology and practise the skills I acquired at university. When I knew ARM was recruiting, I applied immediately.
I joined ARM in May 2009 as summer placement student in the Processor Division and my current project is about creating a Standard Cell Library Benchmarking Suite by Perl script. The benchmarking suite building includes:
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Configure implementation scripts
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Perform frequency sweep for a given standard cell library
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Record result in a format that can be used in Microsoft Excel.
During the placement, I have learnt more about low level design and processor implementation. Besides the technical skills, my soft skills like communication, project management have also been improved.
When I started, I had a basic knowledge of processor implementation, but Perl language programming was completely new to me, however, during my placement I have always had a great deal of support. My line manager has taught me background knowledge of processor implementation and whenever I have a problem at work, I can turn to my technical leader or buddy for advice. Everyone in my office is very friendly and encourages me to ask questions.
Every Friday, I have lunch with my colleagues and there are lots of social events for summer students like cinema trips and pizza evenings. We have a social networking site for summer placement students, which I am sure will be great!
