Before departing for Edinburgh, Scotland, I visited the Lonely Planet's website to learn more about the country that I would soon be visiting. It described Edinburgh as one of the world's most beautiful cities. And, although Scotland didn't generate a storied history in the arts according to the website, it was in the areas of science and technology where Scotland "packed a mighty wallop."

The Alba Centre in Edinburgh would like the world to know this and much more about their history, their locale, and their future plans. The Scottish Enterprise, a governmental program to stimulate economic growth, created the Alba Centre in a move to attract more electronics designers and business to the region - and to make the area an epicenter for system-on-a-chip (SOC) design. In fact, the Alba Centre is flying journalists in from around the world to allow them to learn more about the initiative and to generate international coverage of the campus.

Beginning in the 1940s, Scotland's history in the electronics industry centered on manufacturing and supply. Later, during the "silicon revolution" of the 1960s, companies such as Motorola, National Semiconductor, and Hughes established manufacturing facilities in the country. Today, Motorola and National, as well as NEC and Raytheon, have fabs operating in Silicon Glen, a corridor of land stretching from Glasgow to Edinburgh (approximately 40 miles).

Exodus examined

Until recently, however - in spite of the presence of these and other companies in the area - Scotland suffered from a constant exodus of engineers due to an overall lack of employment opportunities for designers, particularly during periods of economic recession. These engineers usually opted for opportunities in the United States or other destinations, seeking jobs in foreign locations that were readily available and paid higher salaries.

Therefore, the shortage of qualified engineers throughout the world had a critical and negative impact on Scotland. The country found itself with a desire to grow the economic base - particularly in the emerging era of SOC design - but suffered from a lack of engineers to fill the positions available. The country faced a distinct conundrum: without employment opportunities, the designers would relocate elsewhere; without the engineers, SOC companies would look somewhere else as well.

This is now beginning to change however, according to Colin Carruthers, engineering manager for Xilinx' Edinburgh division. "Ten years ago, there wasn't much going on here," Carruthers said. "Now, the situation is much different. Expatriates are coming back now that design centers are being established."

Today, there are nearly 60 companies with design capabilities in Silicon Glen. One of the largest new additions to the group is Cadence Design Services (recently spun off to form the Tality Corp.) Cadence opened its Livingston Design Center with the help of Her Majesty The Queen on June 30, 2000. The site has 250 employees, with room to add an additional 250 employees over time. Microlinear and Level One have also announced plans to establish design centers on the Alba campus.

The Alba Centre is striving to expand the established engineering community to include a solid base of design and, in the process, lure Scottish expatriates and designers back home. To encourage engineers from other countries to relocate to Silicon Glen, the country is promoting its existing semiconductor infrastructure, educational system, and quality of life. The centre said it would also benefit from a change in the United Kingdom's work visa policy, designed to permit more foreign-born engineers to work in Scotland.

Nine thousand people are now employed by the semiconductor industry in the area. The Alba Centre aims to increase that number to 14,500 (5000 of them in design) by the year 2005. Of course, these numbers can only be attained through a combination of qualified engineers from home and abroad. To reach this goal, the centre says it will also need to encourage more school-age children to take an interest in the study of science and technology.

"You've got to make sure you have quality graduates in order for the industry to grow in Scotland," said Clive Reeves of the Alba Centre. "It's necessary to take interest in the entire education process to ensure you have workers to fill demand."

Founded in 1997 and located in Livingston (about 20 miles west of Edinburgh), the Alba Centre is a collective effort between academia, business, and government. The role of academia is quite critical to the initiative - the universities of Scotland provide the lynchpin of the strategy, educating engineers in design and systems on a chip to enhance the future of electronics in the area.

Four universities - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt, and Strathclyde - all provide a structure for advancements in SOCs through curriculum which include offerings in chip design, research and development, and extensive support for system-on-a-chip technology, Reeves said. With the help the Alba Centre, the universities' goals are to ensure a high volume and a high quality of graduates. Currently in Scotland, 2,500 students are graduating each year with degrees in technology.

Collaboration between the four universities and the centre spawned the Institute for System-Level Integration (ISLI), which claims to offer the first Master's degree in system-level integration. The program concentrates on educating students in system-on-a-chip design, the use of intellectual property (IP) blocks, and the architecture of modern electronic systems. Upon completion of the Master's program, the student receives a joint degree from all four universities. In 1999, the ILSI had 8 full-time students and 24 part-time students working toward a Master's Degree in Engineering.

The ILSI also offers a doctoral program, designed in part to support and enhance the R&D capabilities of companies employing design engineers. In the course of the doctoral program, the students spend 18 months on-site with a sponsoring company and 18 months doing research for that company.

Another important component of the Alba Centre is the Virtual Component Exchange (VCX), a web-based portal for IP. The aim of the VCX is to provide the legal and business infrastructure for efficient remote procurement and trading of IP.

The quality of life issue

The members of the Alba Centre believe that the quality of life in Scotland is an important ingredient in its mission. In contrast to the gridlock, smog, and high cost of living associated with Silicon Valley, Scotland is positioning itself as an affordable, culturally rich, and clean location in which to live.

During the drive from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Livingston, you will enjoy rolling hills, farms, sheep, and cows - ample evidence that the promised quality of life is there for the taking.

Located in a giant, refurbished granite stable, Xilinx has grown from 12 to 20 employees in six short months, with plans for 30 employees by the end of the year. Some pleasant highland cows greet employees and visitors alike as they drive up the road to the facility.

"It's a good environment to be creative, especially for IP" Carruthers said.

All of this begs the question, however - what will happen if or when the companies and engineers come flooding in, and Silicon Glen begins to looks more and more like Silicon Valley. The people of the Alba Centre don't seem worried. Scotland has a population of 5,117,900 people sparsely occupying a land area of 78,133 square kilometers.

"Housing and traffic are not problems for us because we have a lot of land to work with," said Neil Francis, director of operations at the centre. "Traffic here is when someone has to slow down for a roundabout (a traffic circle)."

It's not all sunshine, though. Scotland's weather may be difficult to bear for people accustomed to year-round sun in San Jose. The Scots, however, have a healthy sense of humor about their perpetually cloudy weather. When the sky is filled with just a slight overcast (relatively), they call it a "lovely day."

In addition to its awe-inspiring natural landscape, Scotland has other benefits that engineers may enjoy as well. First there's the golf - St. Andrews is home to the game and the setting for Tiger Woods' recent grand slam triumph. And then, there's the whisky. Many would be hard pressed to tell which is of greater importance: the national game or the national drink.

Bill Gold, senior manager of administration, has spent nineteen years with NEC in Silicon Glen. He points out that the fabrication of silicon, golf, and whiskey all require surprisingly similar core ingredients: copious amounts of quality water and quality land.

Sean Patrick Dean is Web Editor for ISD Magazine.

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