Actual logic design is done using standard cells so metrics describing standard cell size are more useful.
Is it really the case that all logic designs use standard cells? I would have expected full custom designs to maybe use a standard design for the transistor but the placement and sizing of the gates is completely custom (e.g. not on a grid).
I can confirm similar situations for other EU IT projects. Currently, I am a contractor working on the IT side for the Galileo Satellite System. Although the IT consulting company that I work for pays significantly better then the 18K mentioned (25K-30K range) the quality of the work that is delivered is terrible. The mentioned salary is for graduate engineers.
The attrition rate is terrible and its impossible to keep people who have knowledge of the program on board.
I would guess that 30-50% of our team are inexperienced java software engineers with less then 5 years of working experience. Around 100 people work on our project but there are probably 3-5 people who still have a clear picture of how everything is working / supposed to work.
In America such things are more often done by DoD contractors and they are paid well and space systems are more tightly controlled than civil aviation.
Is it really the case that all logic designs use standard cells? I would have expected full custom designs to maybe use a standard design for the transistor but the placement and sizing of the gates is completely custom (e.g. not on a grid).