Event
Building Denmark’s next generation of chip designers at DTU Chip Day
On 14 April, over 200 participants came together for the fourth edition of DTU Chip Day – an annual conference and exhibition connecting students, researchers, and industry professionals across the chip design industry for networking, knowledge sharing, and community building.
A key challenge in attracting talent to the industry is visibility. Several students described being surprised by just how much chip activity Denmark is home to.
Benjamin, a second-semester electrical engineering student at DTU, said he hadn’t expected to find so many companies working within the field: “Because we are a small country, I thought we don't really have much in this industry. But there are a lot of companies that aren't startups that are doing these things.”
His fellow student William shared a similar experience: “I didn't know that Denmark really had any chip activities. It's great to see all the opportunities there are – both in Denmark and globally.”
Moments like this highlight why events like DTU Chip Day matter: making the industry visible is the first step to making it attractive.
For Jørgen Kragh Jakobsen, who has been involved in organising DTU Chip Day for several years, the event is also about challenging the perception of chip development as a dying field: "Chip technology is the most significant technology we've done for the last 50 years, and it will continue for the next 50 years," he said. "There are people who think this is dying – but the market has actually grown 25% in the last year, mainly due to AI.”
For professionals in the industry, participating in events like Chip Day is an investment in the future workforce.
"It's a good blend of industry and university students here, and we're happy to support this ecosystem – to motivate students and guide them on the opportunities and how the industry works," said Sunny Sharma from Siemens EDA.
Having spent the day speaking with students at the exhibition, Sharma commented on the level of curiosity: “The students are generally curious about what the business is doing – how chip design works, how AI plays into this, where they could find opportunities for their thesis."
Curiosity is the starting point – but the industry also has a role to play in meeting students halfway. As Brian Dam Pedersen puts it: “Be curious. Try to build something. And then come and join us in the industry.”
See all the pictures from DTU Chip Day at chipday.dk.
