With International Women’s Day behind us and International Women in Engineering Day on June 23rd, we wanted to put great women in engineering on the spotlight. But no Ada Lovelace or Hedy Lamarr in this article. Computer science is constantly evolving, becoming increasingly important in our world, and there are so many reasons for women to be involved. This blog gives the floor to the great women working as engineers at Codasip. We asked our female colleagues what it is like to be a woman engineer at Codasip. Annie, a hardware developer, Hana, a scrum master, and Dominika, an RTL Design Engineer, share their thoughts.
1. We make a difference and shape the future
At Codasip we offer RISC-V based processor IP. RISC-V is changing the business model of the industry but also enabling the creation of innovative and unique products. But it is not just RISC-V. Along with a portfolio of best-in-class quality processors, we develop and offer Codasip Studio™. This unique technology, described in CodAL™, enables processor customization and design automation. Being a female engineer at Codasip means working on products and technology that make a difference, enabling Design for Differentiation. You contribute to shaping the future of the semiconductor industry.
For Dominika, working on innovative technologies in the RISC-V processor field is rewarding. We like to say that Codasip has been a long well-kept secret, but that it will no longer be. Dominika already noticed it. “When I joined 2 years ago, Codasip was very much a start-up. The potential of Codasip IP and technology is huge, the company and what we do has evolved a lot and I am curious to see how we will grow and where this will take us.” Innovating and shaping the future of Codasip is very exciting.
2. Develop in a kind and diverse environment
The people at Codasip make Codasip. With colleagues from different countries across Europe, the US, and China, diversity is part of our company identity. It brings a diversity of thoughts, ideas and experiences, creating a working environment that fosters individual and team development. For Hana, being given responsibilities and taking initiatives is important to grow. “As a scrum master, I help build self-managed teams and an agile culture in the company. We encourage collaboration, flexibility, initiatives and ultimately build high-value products around motivated and valued individuals.”
Flexible working is another thing our women engineers particularly appreciate. Flexibility at work can mean different things. For Annie, it is great to be able to do home office or adapt working hours. For Dominika, it is important to be able to adapt your role as the company evolves and as you develop as an individual. “I first joined the IP team and then switched to RTL design in the Studio team. This is closer to what I studied, worked on in the past, and wanted to develop at Codasip. I like that Codasip allowed me to find what I like and want to do”.
What’s also great about Codasip? The start-up spirit we manage to keep while being a growing, well-established company in a high-growth technology market.
3. Inspire the next generation
It is not a secret, the number of women in tech is growing but is still far from impressive. Having more women in engineering will ultimately bring more women in engineering. And more female CTO, CEO, etc. But how do you inspire the younger generation?
When asked “What more can be done to promote greater participation of young women in engineering today?” in an EE World Online interview, Calista Redmond, CEO of RISC-V International, said: “The challenge we face as a society is that there is an impression that technology starts with a code on a computer. We need to reverse this ideology and start with thinking about the impact that technology can have.” Hana, our scrum master, would add that we must make sure the younger generation understands that what makes someone special is their personality, potential and way of thinking, rather than their diploma, age, or gender.
What makes someone special is their personality, potential and way of thinking, rather than their diploma, age, or gender.
RISC-V, processor customization and Design for Differentiation are the future of the semiconductor industry. One final thought from Annie: “If you are interested in CPU design, RISC-V technology and want to influence the impact that technology will have, then Codasip is the perfect company to be working at”. This aligns with the thoughts our CMO Rupert Baines shared in a blog post where he explains why it is the perfect time to join Codasip and be part of the RISC-V revolution.
