IEEE CASS 2025: Post-Event Highlights

A look back at key activities from March–May 2025

2025 has been an exceptionally active year for the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (CASS), marked by a wide range of technical events, outreach initiatives, and global collaborations. Below is a recap of major activities held between March and May.

8 March 2025 — Distinguished Lecturer Event

Deep Learning Computation and Its Applications

The IEEE-IISc VLSI Chapter organized a distinguished lecture highlighting advances in artificial intelligence and its growing impact on research and society. As part of this effort, the chapter invited Prof. Seokbum Ko, an IEEE CASS Distinguished Lecturer, to share insights from his work on energy-efficient machine learning hardware—an area of strong interest within the IISc AI/ML and circuits research community.

The virtual lecture, titled “Deep Learning Computation and Its Applications,” was held on 8 March 2025 and attracted over 125 participants, including students, researchers, faculty, and industry professionals from India and abroad. Prof. Ko’s presentation was followed by an engaging Q&A session, reflecting strong audience interest and interaction.

The event received positive feedback and demonstrated the IEEE-IISc VLSI Chapter’s continued commitment to knowledge sharing, global engagement, and fostering collaboration across the circuits and systems community.

10–14 March 2025 — CASIF Event

EAMTA / CAE 2025 (Argentina)

The EAMTA/CAE 2025 event was held from 10 to 14 March 2025 and brought together more than 300 participants, including professionals, academics, students, and industry representatives from the microelectronics sector. Hosted across two main venues—the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Buenos Aires (UTN BA) and the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI)—the event served as a key forum for technical training, knowledge exchange, innovation, and networking within the regional microelectronics community. During the first three days at UTN BA, attendees participated in 12 parallel training courses covering a wide range of microelectronics topics, from digital and analog design fundamentals to advanced industrial applications. The program also featured industry exhibitions and daily plenary talks delivered by recognized experts, encouraging discussion and reflection on current research and technological advances.

The final two days took place at INTI and hosted the Argentine Conference on Electronics (CAE), where 16 research papers were presented in oral sessions and later published in IEEE Xplore, alongside 25 scientific poster presentations showcasing innovative applications in electronics. In addition, eight leading companies and institutions shared recent projects and developments, offering participants insight into emerging industry trends and opportunities for collaboration. Overall, EAMTA/CAE 2025 successfully strengthened ties between academia and industry and reinforced its role as a leading reference event for microelectronics in the region, with organizers already planning to build on this momentum in future editions.

7 April 2025 — Distinguished Lecturer Event

First Colombian Meeting on Electronics and Semiconductors: Training Local Talent for the Global Semiconductor Industry

On 7 April 2025, an IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Industry Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Alfonso Chacon-Rodriguez participated in the First Colombian Meeting on Electronics and Semiconductors: Training Local Talent for the Global Semiconductor Industry in Bogotá, Colombia.

Organized by Universidad del Rosario and the IEEE CASS Colombia Chapter, the event featured a lecture titled “Towards an IC Design Ecosystem in Latin America: What Do We Need to Open an ASIC Design House in the Region?”, which explored strategies for integrating local talent into the global semiconductor ecosystem and strengthening regional industry participation. The lecturer also contributed to a panel discussion focused on improving electronics engineering education in Colombia, particularly in areas such as microelectronics, VLSI, verification, and IC design.

In advance of the event, discussions were held with Lorena García, founder of the Colombian Network of Electronics and Semiconductors, on leveraging regional industry experience to support sector growth. Following the meeting, participants identified potential collaboration pathways, including pursuing CASS support for a functional verification workshop for undergraduate students and integrating regional industry partners into the open-source IC design community. The event attracted approximately 35 in-person attendees and an additional 60 participants via livestream, reflecting strong local and international engagement.

11 April 2025 — Distinguished Lecturer Event

DRAM Signaling: Past, Present, and Future

On April 11, 2025, the IEEE-IISc VLSI Chapter hosted a distinguished lecture under the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (CASS) Distinguished Lecturer Program. The event featured Dr. Timothy M. Hollis, Senior Member of IEEE and Micron Fellow, who delivered an insightful talk on the rapidly evolving landscape of DRAM signaling and memory interface architectures. This virtual event, conducted via Microsoft Teams from 9:00 PM to 10:30 PM IST, drew wide interest from academia and industry, with over 130 participants joining from various institutions and organizations worldwide.

Dr. Hollis’s lecture, titled “DRAM Signaling Evolution: Past, Present, and Future,” offered a comprehensive overview of the transformation in DRAM architectures over the past two decades. He highlighted the increasing complexity in transceiver design and signaling schemes, driven by diverse system requirements and the pursuit of greater energy efficiency and bandwidth. The presentation traced the technical motivations behind innovations in DDR, LPDDR, GDDR, and HBM memory families—ranging from multi-tap decision feedback equalization to multi-level signaling and silicon interposer integration. Attendees gained valuable insights into the principles guiding current DRAM interface strategies and the projected trajectory of memory technologies.

The session’s late-evening timing in India allowed for increased international participation, with attendees comprising graduate students, researchers, faculty members, and semiconductor industry professionals.

Following the presentation, an engaging Q&A session unfolded, where Dr. Hollis addressed both technical and forward-looking questions about memory system co-design, signaling standards, and industry trends. The discussion underscored the audience’s strong engagement and curiosity regarding emerging challenges in the field. The event garnered a thoroughly positive feedback from all attendees.

16 April 2025 — Outreach Event

Circuits & Systems Symposium for Students and Young Professionals

The Circuits & Systems Symposium for Students and Young Professionals, held on 16 April 2025, successfully brought together aspiring engineers and early-career professionals to explore the specialized domain of circuits and systems—an essential field underpinning numerous technological applications across various industries.

This event provided participants with an in-depth understanding and practical exposure to key components of modern communication systems, including advanced filters, amplifiers, and transceiver technologies. Attendees engaged in a series of interactive sessions that integrated theoretical foundations with hands-on exercises, focusing on the design, development, and performance characterization of microwave systems. One of the key highlights of the symposium was the use of industry-standard tools such as Advanced Design System (ADS) software, Spectrum Analyzers, and Vector Network Analyzers, which enabled participants to gain experience with simulation and testing methodologies critical for validating the performance of electronic components. Given the high cost and limited accessibility of such sophisticated tools—especially in developing regions—this symposium offered a rare opportunity for over 60 students and young professionals to develop essential skills in a well-equipped environment. By the end of the event, attendees not only gained technical competence but also the confidence to innovate and contribute to the growing field of circuits and systems.

Organized under the IEEE MTT/AP/EMC/CAS Joint Chapter Islamabad, and hosted at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), H-12 Campus, Islamabad, the symposium played a key role in advancing technical education and also contributed to the growth of IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (CASS) membership in the region. Last but not the least, it is important to mention that this event would not have been possible without the gracious financial support of the IEEE CAS society under “2025 CASS Outreach grant” theme.

22 April 2025 — Distinguished Lecturer Event

Enabling Industry 4.0 with Circuits, Systems, and Open Technologies

The IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Distinguished Lecturer Program visit to National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in Taichung, Taiwan, took place on 22 April 2025 and featured a lecture by A/Prof. Chi-Tsun (Ben) Cheng from RMIT University. Hosted by Prof. Ching-Ming Lai, the lecture focused on enabling Industry 4.0 through circuits, systems, and open-source technologies, with a particular emphasis on the “Factory in a Box” (FIAB) toolkit. A live demonstration showcased the rapid deployment of an Industry 4.0 system in under 15 minutes, highlighting practical, low-barrier approaches for smart manufacturing and strong alignment with IEEE CAS technical interests. The event attracted faculty, researchers, and students, and generated active discussion on IoT, sensor integration, data communication, and real-time processing requirements.

In addition to the lecture, the visit included strategic meetings with NCHU leadership to explore opportunities for future collaboration between NCHU and RMIT University, including joint research projects, researcher exchanges, and graduate student mobility in areas related to smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Overall, the visit successfully disseminated practical knowledge, strengthened institutional ties, promoted IEEE CAS activities in the region, and fostered dialogue on the future direction of Industry 4.0 within the circuits and systems community.

8–9 May 2025 — Distinguished Lecturer Event

Advancing IC Design Ecosystems in Latin America: What do we need to open an ASIC design house in the region

The IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (CASS) Uruguay Chapter organized an IEEE-CAS Industry Distinguished Lecturer (iDLP) visit at Universidad Católica del Uruguay (UCU) in Montevideo on 8 May 2025. The event featured a technical lecture by Dr. Carlos Gallup-Montero on the ACM model for MOS transistors, followed by an iDLP presentation titled “Towards an IC Design Ecosystem in Latin America: What Do We Need to Open an ASIC Design House in the Region?”. The lectures sparked discussion on strengthening electronics engineering curricula by introducing microelectronics, VLSI, RTL, verification, and IC design topics earlier in undergraduate programs, as well as leveraging regional connectivity to share courses and expertise across Latin America. Approximately 30 participants attended in person, with an additional 100 attendees joining remotely via Google Meet.

On 9 May 2025, follow-up meetings were held with Dr. Alfredo Arnaud and colleagues from UCU’s Department of Electronics Engineering (DIE-UCU) to explore collaboration opportunities. These discussions resulted in an agreement for Rydev and Tecnológico de Costa Rica to partner on several microelectronics design and development initiatives supported by Uruguay’s Research and Innovation Agency (ANII), reinforcing regional cooperation and capacity building in the semiconductor ecosystem.

11 May 2025 — Distinguished Lecturer Event

New Integrated Circuit and Semiconductor Technologies: Opportunities for Latin America

An IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (CASS) Industry Distinguished Lecturer event titled “New Integrated Circuit and Semiconductor Technologies: Opportunities for Latin America?” was held on 11 May 2025 in Panama City, Panama. The event was organized by the University of Panama (UP) and the IEEE CASS Panama Chapter, with support from the CASS Industry Forum (CASIF) initiative. The program included an iDLP lecture, “Towards an IC Design Ecosystem in Latin America: What Do We Need to Open an ASIC Design House in the Region?”, alongside presentations by Prof. Ricardo Reis, Dr. Victor Grimblatt, and Dr. Alexis Chacón, who addressed the current state of microelectronics and semiconductor design, Latin America’s role in the global semiconductor supply chain, and the potential impact of emerging insulation materials.

The event also featured a panel discussion with the speakers and representatives from UP and the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP), focusing on regional collaboration, integration of expertise across Latin America, and lessons learned from countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, and Chile that have advanced design-related activities. According to the organizers, the event attracted approximately 35 in-person attendees and 50 remote participants, reflecting strong interest in advancing semiconductor and IC design capabilities in the region.

13 May 2025 — Outreach Event

Introduction to Optical Interconnect Technologies for Data Centers

The IEEE Foothill Section EDS/CASS/Photonics Joint Chapter hosted a technical tutorial titled “Introduction to Optical Interconnect Technologies for Data Centers” on 13 May 2025 as part of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Student Branch Chapter Activity Outreach program. Delivered in a hybrid format, the event featured Dr. Xian-Li Yeh, former President of Archcom Technology Inc., who provided an industry-focused overview of optical interconnect technologies used in modern data centers. The tutorial covered high-speed optical transceivers, optoelectronic component integration, and key technology trends such as bandwidth scaling, power efficiency, and system-level integration challenges.

The event attracted approximately 18 participants, including students, IEEE members, and professionals, and generated strong engagement through an interactive Q&A session addressing industry roadmaps, technical challenges, and career pathways in optical communications. Overall, the tutorial successfully increased awareness of real-world optical interconnect technologies, strengthened connections between students and industry experts, and reinforced IEEE CASS’s role in supporting education and professional development in circuits, systems, and photonics.

19 May 2025 — Distinguished Lecturer Event

Energy Efficient Analog Mixed Signal Circuits and Sensor Interfaces

The IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Distinguished Lecturer Program (DLP) was held on 19 May 2025 and was jointly organized by the Vel Tech Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering & Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC), the IEEE CASS Madras Section Chapter, and IEEE student and society chapters at Vel Tech. The event featured a distinguished lecture by Prof. Orazio Aiello (University of Genoa, IEEE CAS Distinguished Lecturer) titled “Energy Efficient Analog Mixed Signal Circuits and Sensor Interfaces.” The lecture focused on contemporary design principles for low-power analog and mixed-signal circuits, with applications in IoT, biomedical devices, and wearable electronics, highlighting challenges such as signal integrity, noise optimization, and energy-efficient front-end design.

The online session, attended by 26 undergraduate students, research scholars, and faculty members, generated active engagement and discussion, increasing awareness of practical design challenges in analog and mixed-signal systems and motivating participants to pursue advanced research and projects in this domain. The event also provided faculty with insights into emerging research trends and collaboration opportunities, contributing to the strengthening of academic and research capabilities within the department and reinforcing the role of IEEE CASS in supporting technical education and professional development.

23 May 2025 — Distinguished Lecturer Event

Qubit-Size Low-Power Cryo-CMOS ICs for Monolithic Quantum Processors

An IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (CASS) Distinguished Lecturer visit featuring Prof. Domenico Zito took place in Bangalore, India, in May 2025, hosted at the Amrita School of Engineering by IEEE CASS Bangalore. Prof. Zito delivered a lecture on 23 May that traced his experience in building a research lab from the ground up and addressed key challenges in quantum processor development. His presentation covered collaboration with GlobalFoundries, the tape-out of a chip in GF 55 nm technology, and detailed explanations of FDSOI technology, including transistor construction and performance comparisons between simulation results and cryogenic silicon measurements.

The lecture generated strong engagement, with active discussion and questions from students and faculty, followed by informal conversations on potential future collaboration, including possible online internship opportunities for students and young professionals in Bangalore.

27 May 2025 — Distinguished Lecturer Event

IWCIM 2025: Computational Intelligence for Multimedia Understanding

The 13th International Workshop on Computational Intelligence for Multimedia Understanding (IWCIM), organized by the ERCIM Working Group MUSCLE, took place as a captivating special session during IEEE ISCAS 2025 in London. Presenting authors and workshop organizer Prof. Maria Trocan at IWCIM 2025.

This year’s IWCIM was fully in-person, welcoming 25 attendees, including 4 valued participants from outside the CASS community, with no virtual attendees.

Held on Tuesday, May 27, IWCIM featured six stimulating presentations available HERE. From infrared‑based air leak detection and accent‑sensitive phoneme recognition to fog‑computing resource provisioning, SAR‑based ship classification, simulated‑vs‑real data model selection, and thermal‑resistant fingerprint modeling, IWCIM 2025 underscored a diverse palette of innovations in multimedia intelligence. With lively discussions and cross-disciplinary insights, IWCIM 2025 set the stage for even broader impact in future editions.

Looking Ahead

With a strong foundation built in early 2025, the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society looks forward to an equally dynamic remainder of the year—continuing to foster innovation, global collaboration, and knowledge sharing across the circuits and systems community.