Purdue continues to lead in chip technology and workforce innovation across the US

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – From creating microchip ‘clocks’ to authoring a book series on semiconductors, Purdue continues to forge the future of microelectronics in 2023. Purdue University’s persistent pursuit of microchip advancement through the innovation, partnerships and programs highlighted in this roundup continues to move the field forward. If you have any questions or would like to speak to a Purdue expert, contact Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu. 

US-Europe semiconductors collaboration milestone as Purdue-imec announce partnership

• Purdue announces a first-of-its-kind research agreement with Indiana and the cutting-edge European nano- and digital technology innovation hub.
• The collaboration will strengthen the growing semiconductor ecosystem in Indiana and at Purdue with a steady exchange of expertise in the continually evolving and expanding industry.
• imec will work side-by-side with faculty and students at the Birck Nanotechnology Center and Purdue students and faculty will have an opportunity to work in Belgium.

Purdue University named No. 16 among World’s Most Innovative Companies, No. 1 in education

• Purdue has been named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for its advances in semiconductors and microelectronics.
• Fast Company cited Purdue as a renowned and globally recognized leader in semiconductors, from research to training to fabrication to the workforce.
• As the only university ranked in Fast Company magazine’s Top 50 Most Innovative Companies, No. 16 Purdue follows OpenAI (at No. 1, developer of ChatGPT and Dall-E) and leads NASA (No. 17) and The Walt Disney Company (No. 25) as organizations “paving the way for the innovations of tomorrow” and “setting the standard with some of the greatest accomplishments of the modern world.” 

Economic future of U.S. depends on making engineering cool

• With the chip workforce just as key to our nation’s economic future as chip innovation, The Washington Post says Purdue is creating a model for education across the U.S.
• Chips companies and government officials alike are looking to Purdue for guidance on CHIPS and Science Act implementation that promotes innovation while creating the workforce of the future.
• September’s visit from Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, chip companies and semiconductor experts highlighted how a prepared workforce is being built here at Purdue while drawing national attention to chip education.

An overview of semiconductors at Purdue

Here is the latest information on Purdue’s readiness for semiconductors. This overview highlights how Purdue is connecting industry, workforce development and research to create a global impact on semiconductor and microelectronic innovation.

Purdue-led project awarded $5 million for Greater Lafayette to grow semiconductor industry workforce

• Purdue University partnered with Greater Lafayette Commerce to receive $5 million for the development of the semiconductor workforce to create a talent pipeline for the industry.
• The funding is geared to support the plan by Bloomington, Minnesota-based SkyWater Technology to invest $1.8 billion for locating a major semiconductor manufacturing facility in Discovery Park District at Purdue.
• Purdue President Mung Chiang said, “This region that includes Tippecanoe County is well poised to become an engine in creating the ‘hard-tech corridor’ of our state.”

Discovery Park District at Purdue picked for new $1.8B semiconductor fabrication facility

• SkyWater Technology expects 750 new jobs to be created by the facility within five years.
• The 600,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is dependent upon receiving funds from the CHIPS Act.
• SkyWater is the latest company in Discovery Park District at Purdue, joining Rolls-Royce, Saab and others.

Purdue launches nation’s first comprehensive Semiconductor Degrees Program

• U.S. economic security depends on developing the talent pipeline in this vital field.
• The program will create the next generation of semiconductor workforce to reassert American preeminence.
• The launch allows a Purdue, Ivy Tech partnership to create curriculum, corporate training for a new microelectronics workforce.

Transistors repurposed as microchip ‘clock’ address supply chain weakness

• Purdue researchers are working to fix a weak point in chip manufacturing that requires the separate creation of a timing device, which often occurs overseas.
• The new approach repurposes data processing transistors into a timing device, addressing the weak point in the supply chain.
• Purdue researcher Dana Weinstein says, “There’s a need for America to advance its capabilities in chip manufacturing, and an advance of this nature addresses multiple concerns in supply chain, national security and hardware security.”

Purdue and World Scientific announce new book series to unleash new era of semiconductor innovation

• Purdue’s College of Engineering, with World Scientific and the American Semiconductor Academy, announced New Era Electronics: A Lecture Notes Series.
• The book series is a continuation of the Semiconductor Electronics Education Committee notes from the 1960s, which aims to prepare a new generation of semiconductor engineers to advance electronics with foundational knowledge and new directions for innovation.
• The new book series was announced at a celebration with remarks from U.S. Sen. Todd Young, co-author of the CHIPS and Science Act, and a presentation of “Transistors!” (the first volume of the series) to Purdue President Mung Chiang.

Purdue expert: Chip packaging

What is chip packaging, and how does it advance the semiconductor field? Purdue researcher Ganesh Subbarayan explains what advanced chip packaging is and how it will keep advancements in this field powerful and cost-effective.

Purdue, global chipmaker partner on new Midwestern semiconductor design center

• The center marks a commitment to addressing society’s increasing semiconductor demands and needed talent pool.
• The design center will be MediaTek’s first location in the Midwest.
• Collaborations on artificial intelligence research and communications chip design are still in the works. 

Purdue Engineering to play key role in two new SRC JUMP 2.0 centers

• Purdue College of Engineering faculty have been tapped for leadership positions in two new research centers launched by the Semiconductor Research Corporation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
• The centers are part of the Joint University Microelectronics Program 2.0, a public-private partnership that will pursue high-risk, high-payoff research.
• Purdue faculty will take on lead research roles and lend expertise in semiconductors and hard artificial intelligence to two of the program’s seven centers.

Making semiconductors dense and cool 

• The demand for faster, more powerful microchips to handle today’s consumer demands creates a tightly compacted and incredibly hot semiconductor.
• Purdue researcher Tiwei Wei proposes a new cooling system, “direct liquid jet impingement cooling,” which will result in high cooling efficiency.
• Wei’s Alpha Lab (All-in-one for Semiconductor Packaging, Heat transfer, and Assembly Lab) is making semiconductor packaging technology into a more efficient, reliable space and unlocking the potential for nanotechnologies to benefit humankind.

Purdue expert on the CHIPS and Science Act

The $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law on Aug. 9 as an investment in the American ecosystem of microelectronics and semiconductor production. Vijay Raghunathan explains what the act is and what it means for America.

Read the latest about microelectronics at Purdue. 

Purdue microelectronics in the news 

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

The Wall Street Journal

U.S. Pours Money Into Chips, but Even Soaring Spending Has Limits

The New York Times 

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last five years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://stories.purdue.edu.