Swinburne teams make good showing at IC design competition

KUCHING: Two teams from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus finished second and third in the Sarawak Microelectronics Design (SMD) Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Competition.

The achievement came after both teams competed in the 16-month competition, which began in May 2025 and concluded with the Grand Final on Sept 15, 2026.

Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Swinburne Sarawak Dr Lee Hui En said the achievement reflected the students’ dedication, resilience and commitment throughout the demanding competition.

“Their success reflects not only their strong technical foundation in analogue IC design, but also their ability to work collaboratively and innovate under challenging conditions,” he said in a press statement on Monday (Sept 28).

He said the achievement also demonstrated the calibre of talent within the university’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering programme.

Second placing was secured by team 1OP4U, comprising Stephen Ling Yong Hua, Samuel Teo Zhen Hong, Evan Wong Kuan Seng and Chang Xiang Peng.

The team guided by Dr Lee developed an audio amplifier system, while Swinburne 1, which finished third, developed an electrocardiogram (ECG) system.

Swinburne 1 comprised Mohanad Taher Mohamed Sayed Roshdy, Anson Wong Saieng and Jaswyn Lim Ming Hou, under the guidance of Associate Professor Dr Chua Hong Siang.

Both teams competed against six other teams from Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).

Throughout the competition, students developed their expertise in analogue IC design, covering schematic design and physical layout implementation through an industry-oriented design process.

The programme also strengthened their critical thinking, problem-solving, project management, communication and teamwork skills while requiring them to work under technical requirements and tight timelines.

Organised by SMD Semiconductor, the competition was aimed at developing homegrown expertise in analogue IC design while supporting Sarawak’s ambition to expand its semiconductor industry.