A

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

PROPOSAL
ON

Hardware based intellectual property (Design, Verification, Simulation, etc.)

Outsourcing from Nepal
Submitted By:

Digitronix Nepal
Company Registration No.:131299/071/072
Pulchowk,Lalitpur, Nepal
Contact No.: +977-9841078525, 9849093784,9808813677
Email: digitronixnepali@gmail.com
 Table of Contents

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Organization Introduction
1.2 Back Ground of Proposal: Why we should Do It?
1.3 Project Introduction

2. Literature review and Feasibility Study ........................................................................ 4

3. Problem Statement .......................................................................................................... 5
4. Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 6
5. Conceptual Block Diagram............................................................................................. 7
6. Methodology..................................................................................................................... 8
7. Expected Outcomes ......................................................................................................... 9
8. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 9
References ........................................................................................................................ 10
1. Introduction

1.1 Organization Introduction

Digitronix Nepal is newly established innovative organization, we always think about technology,
innovation and how to manage this innovative technology to solve real time problem faced by different
area of people. Digitronix Nepal has applied a proposal on Raspberry Pi Based E learning
System at ITU Young Innovators Competition-2014(Gaihre, E learning with Raspberry Pi
based Minicomputer, 2014) which is shortlisted as top 50 Idea, AGRO-SALE at ITU Young
Innovators Competition-2013(Gaihre, AGRO-SALE (ICT for Agriculture), 2013) and other
idea competitions. Digitronix Nepal is now involving on different Smartphone Application
Development , Web Development and Technical Trainings.
Organization Formed by Masters Students( MSC Engineering in Technology and
Innovation Management(TIM)) of Pulchowk Campus and Professional Engineers
Establish Date: 2069 B.S (2012 A.D),
Office Location: Pulchowk , Lalitpur.
Mission:-Implementing Innovative Technical Ideas for Social change and
Empowerment.
Vision: Technology for Change.
Objective: Applying the knowledge and skills of the Field of ICT to solve real
faced problems.
Values: Implication of ICT for Innovation

Digitronix Nepal has involved in following advance trainings and programs

I. FPGA-VLSI Trainings (VHDL/Verilog) : Design , synthesis , Implementation,
realization on Xilinx Sparten 3e and Altera Development Boards.
II. ARM ( Cortex M series ) Architecture design , ARM7TDMI Firmware Programming
and Interfacing.
III. Different series of Microcontroller (8051, AVR, PIC, Arduino) , Raspberry PI
Trainings
IV. Designing and Developing Complete product of Embedded system for Automation and
Control systems
1.2 Back Ground of Proposal: Why we should Do It?
We are proposing this Idea as a Project due to following reasons:
Before 6-7 years the situation of software outsourcing platform has similar
situation what we all facing on hardware based intellectual property
outsourcing. In Nepal Software companies e.g. dear walk, verisk is doing
best while they get tasks mostly from USA and so they are serving for US
based Companies, however they create large job opportunities for Nepalese
engineer and professionals.
This Idea Implementation can promote and create a platform for Nepalese
engineer, hardware designer, and relative other professional, so that they
can work on Nepal which makes them a best employment and create a
advance research environment. This idea implementation also promote the
concept of Doing Something in Nepal and Nepalese
This is the right time and condition of initiation of this Hardware based
intellectual property (Design, Verification, Simulation, etc.) Outsourcing
from Nepal.
Nepal has environment of economical and capable human resources
(engineer, designers) even than in India, or any other Asian countries. So
each task can be completed economically, reliably and efficiently.
We need to have motivation and trainings programs to empower Nepalese
engineers and designers.
1.3 Proposal Project Introduction
Short History of Outsourcing Scenario in Nepal

A. Software Outsourcing from Nepal

Top companies Dear Walk, Verisk, Logpoint, Cloudfactory.
VAS Providers Janaki Tech, F1 Soft
Some E commerce Payment Gateway E-Sewa, I pay and other Services.

B. Hardware based intellectual property (Design, Verification, Simulation, etc.) and

Product Outsourcing from Nepal : Some News and Views
Somebody tried to outsource Hard disk Component from Nepal.
One Researcher tells, if a laptop manufacturers (e.g. DELL) One charger
manufacturing unit is established in Nepal it can create thousands of Jobs.
We are not thinking now to export/outsource direct hardware product, but we
can outsource Intellectual Property (NIVIDIA, ARM, Qualcomm, Cadence,
Intel, etc. has this type of outsourcing task) which may be Designs, Verification,
Simulation or other task.
Ballav Bhattarai ( Qualcomm Employee) initiate the Hardware based IP
outsourcing from Nepal, but due to some reasons (May be Lack of
Understanding of Students and developers real interest, Nepalese environment
and doing culture, Communication gap and some Technical Problems).
 Understanding the ontology and Situations of Nepal is most necessary, because
it may effect day to day work, so we are able to understand, analyze and planned
for this type of situation properly and effectively.
2. Literature review and Feasibility Study
Nepal has potential on the hardware based IP outsourcing platform. In worldwide, Major
hardware design and IP companies like NIVIDIA, ARM, Qualcomm, Cadence, Intel, are
establishing their R& D labs in Asian countries (Vietnam, India, Taiwan, Singapore) where
Large number of Nepalese Professional are working at Top level of tasks.

(Citate mahabir pun , ARM Ireland employee, punj poharel-NIVIDIA, and other person)
A. Human Resource (Engineer, Designer, Tech Managers, Marketers)
a. T.U (IOE, Pulchowk, Some Affilate Colleges) , K.U School of Engineering has
a course which covers some topics of Embedded System Design, Processor
Design methodology, processes and tools overview. Annually about 20 talented
students are graduated from those institutes and until now most of them are
leaving Nepal, Can we initiate to give them some chances in Nepal which will
reduce the issue of Brain Drain from Nepal. For developing nation Proper
Human Resource Management is the Key Factor, so it is necessary for Nepal.
Those 20 number of students, some researcher , some employed person on this
field in major companies , some working on research labs in Nepal, Design
Professionals and some students who are studied aboard and ant to do
something in Nepal.
b. Economical H.R
H. R in Nepal is relatively cheap than UK, USA, Taiwan, Japan, China and even
than India (Nepal is World 2nd cheapest country). Engineer, Designer and Tech
Professional can work much more economical charges than other countries.
Receltly the task of Designing, Verification of the Hardware based IP is done
in Developing Countries like Vietnam, India and Some other South east Asian
countries. (Citation most of the Silicon based Industry are opening their labs on
India, where they get task from USA, UK and they did more economically and
reliably).
c. Motivation to those Professional and Providing them a necessary trainings can
be done so that they can improve themselves and do the preliminary tasks better.
d. We can have internship opportunities in the initial phase, we can train them and
enhancing their knowledge and skills can make us more resourceful and work
better. We can hire Research fellow on this field which promote Nepalese
Professional working in Nepal and Working abroad & like to return Nepal.
B. Financial Feasibility
a. Developing research lab with preliminary environment is not expensive and
developing full functional research lab which is also economical than
establishing such labs on developed countries some bylaws and regulation
supports us and some may affect, we can find accessible location, Environment.
b. Research Equipment can be establish 1st time by importing by land after all
necessary configuration set up, we can have upgradation time-relatively and
With respect to latest technology , which can be done by importing major
developing kits from air-cargo (This is become major issues sometime in
Nepal), Via TIA. However sometime delays may effect but it can be minimize
so we can arrange for proper timing and resource allocation.
c. Importing and Exporting Hardware products may become somethime little
expensive but hardware based IP (design and verification task) can be designed
and implemented on computer aided design module. Processor designing
software so it is an intellectual property, which can outsource/export on the
basis of Internet. we can get necessary bandwidth up to gbps from ISP at
Kathmandu.

C. Organization Capability
a. We can used the same platform of established companies (Digitronix Nepal) or
can established company. About Digitronix Nepal we share same ambiguous
vision to develop and create a environment of Hardware design outsourcing
from Nepal.
b. We can analyze and implement this idea with proper planning in Resource
Management, Technical Feasibility and Understanding as well as up gradation
w.r.t Latest Technology.
c. We can motivate the stakeholders (Research professionals, Students,
Employees, Technology marketers, Clients and Shareholders or Founders). So
that all the stakeholders can get task from worldwide companies, we do it in
Nepal and outsource to other companies in Economical cost and Reliable
product design and processes.

D. What We can do?

a. Punj Pokharel
b. Design , Verification (Citate Abhinay Kayastha Design Verification Engineer at
Marvell Semiconductor) of following task
Computer Languages : Verilog, VHDL, C, C++, SystemVerilog,
OpenGL, PL/SQL, Perl, CUDA
 Packages : ModelSim, Xilinx ISE, MATLAB, LABVIEW, Quartus,
Oracle 10g, Digilent Adept, Chip Scope

Hardware/Architecture : Xilinx Spartan 6 FPGA, Tomasulo Design,

Picoblaze, PCI &I2C bus Protocols

Chip Multi-Threading Processor Design [VHDL]

Design Verification and Coverage [SystemVerilog]

Five Stage Pipeline with Block RAMS [Verilog]

c. effective Multi-objective Design Space Exploration techniques for Integrated Circuits

(citate Kumud Nepal PhD Candidate in Computer Engineering at Brown University)
i. RTL development (specially multimedia applications) for ASICs and FPGA
design flows for hardware acceleration
ii. CAD, Simulators and other tools: Synopsys Design Compiler, Primetime,
Mentor Graphics ModelSim, Altera Quartus II Design Tools, Xilinx ISE,
Matlab/Simulink, Microsoft Visual Studio, Eclipse, IPython, SmartSpice
iii. Low Area/Power Custom Computing Circuits:
- Developed a design tool, ABACUS, in C++ that instruments novel automated
methodologies for generating approximate computing circuits directly from
RTL descriptions
- Implemented test bench designs (as big as 260k gates) in Verilog and used
Synopsys Design Compiler and Primetime tools for synthesis and timing
closure, and MentorGraphics Modelsim for simulation, debugging and
verification
iv. Fast Design-Space exploration Methods in Hardware Accelerators using
Analytical Modeling:
- Implemented and automated design-space exploration and model
characterization process for FPGA accelerators for given parameters to
achieve low area/power and high throughput designs
- Able to achieve 92% accurate analytical models for design metrics using
least-squares estimation and L-1 regularization, with only 0.42% of design
space explored
v. High-throughput Architecture Prototyping:
- Implemented a high throughput and power aware architecture
development of a non-iterative image deblurring algorithm on a Xilinx Virtex
6 FPGA chip able to deblur 8 pixels/cycle at 100MHz
vi. MIPProcessor:
- Designed, RTL-implemented and booted a five-stage pipelined MIPS
processor on an Altera Cyclone-II FPGA. Aggressively clocked at 125MHz after
optimization and timing closure
 d. Hardware Design : Verilog, VHDL, System Verilog, VLSI design/Verification.
EDA Tools: ... Soft Core Processor: Altera Nios II, Xilinx (Micro Blaze, Pico
Blaze).
e. ECAD tools: Altium Designer, Cadence ORCAD, Eagle, Proteus Processors :
ARM Cortex-A/ Cortex-M, PIC16/18/32 Microcontroller, ...

E. Vendors and Possible Clients:

a. ARM based Vendors. (citate ARM Based Vendors )
i. Apple
ii. Qualcomm
iii. Samsung
iv. MediaTek
v. Marvell
vi. Broadcom
vii. Nvidia
viii. Huawei HiSilicon
ix. AllWinner, RockChip, and Spreadtrum
b. FPGA Based Vendors
i. Xilinx
ii. Altera
iii. Zilog
iv. Lattice Semiconductor
v. Microsemi (was Actel)
vi. QuickLogic
c. ASIC Based Vendors
i. NXP, TI, Freescale, STM, Microchip