Purdue efforts drive future workforce development for semiconductor industry

Purdue-led SCALE training the engineers, hardware designers, manufacturing experts to drive the US into new frontier

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University is focused beyond semiconductor research, working also to establish the next generation of the workforce highlighted in this roundup needed to push the industry into the next decade. It’s estimated the U.S. will require at least 50,000 semiconductor engineers to meet the continuously growing demands.

$19M in funding bolsters SCALE key research areas, new academic partners

• U.S. Department of Defense funding the latest effort strengthening Purdue-led microelectronics workforce development program.
• U.S. requires a deep pool of talented and motivated people who can do the work at the highest standards to build upon the 12% of the chips manufactured here.
• Purdue leads a public-private-academic partnership of now 19 universities and 48 partners within the defense industry and government.

Seeing STARS: Purdue trains next generation of semiconductor engineers

• The eight-week Summer Training, Awareness, and Readiness for Semiconductors (STARS) program is designed to jump-start student training for careers in the semiconductor industry.
• A chip design track offers students a crash course in circuit design and programming languages while the STARS manufacturing track develops skills related to chip fabrication and material and device characterization.

Purdue started the Summer Training, Awareness, and Readiness for Semiconductors (STARS) program this year to jump-start students’ training for careers in the semiconductor industry. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood) Download image

Podcast: Purdue stands as ‘one of the few’ with a substantial presence in semiconductors

Mark Lundstrom, Purdue’s chief semiconductor officer, talks to the “This Is Purdue” podcast about the university’s pivotal role in the development of semiconductor technology and workforce development.

US-Europe semiconductors collaboration milestone reached in Purdue partnership

• Purdue University along with the state of Indiana and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation entered a first-of-its-kind agreement with cutting-edge European nano- and digital technology innovation hub imec.
• An on-campus presence by imec and overseas research for students and faculty will enable Purdue to further strengthen the relevance of its research to the semiconductor industry.
• Working with imec falls in line with the university’s new initiative Purdue Computes, which includes a $100 million Purdue investment in semiconductor research and learning facilities and a phase 1 update of the Scifres Nanofabrication Laboratory located in the Birck Nanotechnology Center.

Purdue signs landmark US-Japan agreement in semiconductors at G7 summit

• Through the agreement, Purdue is partnering with Micron, Tokyo Electron and other educational institutions in the United States and Japan to establish the “UPWARDS Network” for workforce advancement and research and development in semiconductors.
• The international agreement advances Purdue’s efforts, specifically in areas like quantum computing and semiconductors.
• With the agreement, Purdue became the first U.S. university with bilateral partnerships in semiconductors with Europe, India and Japan. 

Purdue microelectronics in the news: 

Indiana Tests if the Heartland Can Transform Into a Chip Hub

The New York Times 

America is building chip factories. Now to find the workers

The Economist 

Chips Are the New Oil and America Is Spending Billions to Safeguard Its Supply

The Wall Street Journal 

Growing talent gap in U.S. chip space emerges as makers spend billions

CNBC 

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top 4 in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, with 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 12 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap, including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes, at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives. 

Writer/Media contact: Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu