Design of ASIC

Hey all,

Since this is the newbie thread not sure what to expect from this but since this is where I can post this is where I am posting.

Currently I am working on my masters doing my thesis on VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) layout. This is done using a layout software (such as L-EDIT or CADENCE) to create a map of the physical structures to be made on silicon which will become the transistors/logic gates/amplifiers/circuits etc. Currently I am working on an analog to digital converter. I love circuits and enjoy laying out circuits.

Honestly I have no idea what goes into the computations that a mining ASIC would need to do. I know that they benefit from parallel hardware, but that even GPU's are not optimized for mining. I am assuming that the actual circuits required would not be that complicated but rather just massively parallel in scope. The computer science/algorithmic side of it is not my specialty, however, I can design circuits, lay them out, and simulate them. To have them fabricated you just send them to the fab and pay a (quite sizeable) fee to have them construct the chips. In .5um technology--500nm as opposed to Intel's 22nm-- it costs around $20,000 to have a chip fabricated and a few bucks for each chip after the first.

So, does anyone know the nuts and bolts of what an ASIC chip would actually have to do?