First FAMES Winter School EFDS: Empowering Semiconductor Design Skills Across Europe

The FAMES EFDS school concluded its first edition in Grenoble. Organized by CIME Nanotech and CEA-Leti, the intensive week provided theoretical lecture and hands-on training to participants from 8 European countries. By mastering FD-SOI design flows and advanced modeling methodologies, EFDS contributed to strengthening Europe’s technological autonomy in advanced semiconductor adoption.

© L.Presumey-CEA

As the demand for energy-efficient electronics continues to grow, FD-SOI technology has emerged as a key enabler for low-power, energy-efficient applications. However, the complexity of advanced FD-SOI nodes requires highly specialized design expertise that remain scarce across Europe. Bridging the gap between academic theory and industrial practice is therefore essential to meet the needs of the European semiconductor ecosystem and reinforce technological sovereignty.

The FAMES European FD-SOI Design School (EFDS) was established to address this challenge. Its main mission is to equip designers with the technical foundations needed to fully exploit advanced FD-SOI features, including body-biasing techniques and compact transistor models. By combining theory with intensive practical training, the school accelerates the adoption of FD-SOI for the next circuit generation designs in IoT, automotive, or telecommunications.

The first edition Winter School, held from January 25 to 30, 2026, at CIME Nanotech in Grenoble, was a true success. The program brought together a diverse group of participants from France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. Through a mix of expert-led lectures and hands-on CAD sessions, the participants mastered the digital design flows (from RTL to layout), handled the ACM transistor modeling for designing a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), and explored the novel embedded non-volatile memories (OxRAM, RRAM, FeRAM, MRAM).

© L.Presumey-CEA

Beyond the technical skills, the event fostered a unique cross-disciplinary environment. Participants engaged in technical exchanges and site visits, creating a vibrant network of researchers and engineers committed to advancing FD-SOI innovation. Feedback highlighted the value of the practical sessions, which allowed for immediate application of theoretical concepts.

This achievement was made possible through FAMES-Pilot Line project. By leveraging the facilities and pedagogical expertise of CIME Nanotech and CEA-Leti, FAMES provided access to EDA tools and advanced « pathfinding » PDKs, ensuring training aligned with the latest industry standards.

The success of this first edition is a significant milestone for the FAMES Academy. It demonstrates the feasibility of a pan-European training program and establishes a robust model for future sessions. This initiative directly supports the FAMES mission to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem by establishing a sustainable pool of highly qualified experts.

The skills acquired by the participants will have a direct impact on their organizations, enabling innovative FD-SOI IC designs. Looking ahead, the EFDS will be an annual event. Future editions will continue to evolve, integrating emerging semiconductor trends and advanced strategies to ensure Europe remains at the forefront of FD-SOI design and manufacturing excellence.

© L.Presumey-CEA

More information

Visit the EFDS page.

Information about future trainings is available here.

Scientific contacts and contributors

Monia Dahmane (GINP), Sana Ibrahim (GINP) & Laurent Fesquet (GINP)

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FAMES European FD-SOI Design School (EFDS)

Winter School – 25-30 January 2026, Grenoble,  France
training costs: 1960€

All FAMES Partners undertake to respect their obligations in application of regulations in force and, especially, regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016, on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (referred to as “GDPR”).

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