Prioritizing partnerships pays off for Purdue

Collaboration is leading to groundbreaking discoveries and advancements that benefit society

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — From chip collaboration to transformative technologies, synergies bring together expertise and groundbreaking discoveries at Purdue University.

Just five months into 2024, Purdue has fostered multiple symbiotic relationships with a diverse array of partners. Here is a collection of the university’s most recent and impactful partnerships.

Top news: Purdue expands semiconductor partnerships

SK hynix announces semiconductor advanced packaging investment in Purdue Research Park

On April 3, SK hynix Inc. announced plans to invest nearly $4 billion to construct an advanced packaging fabrication and R&D facility for AI products in the Purdue Research Park. The facility will mass-produce next-generation high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, chips, the critical component of graphic processing units that train AI systems such as ChatGPT. 

Purdue, Dassault Systèmes, Lam Research sign MOU to utilize latest virtual twin technology to transform semiconductor research and workforce development

On April 17, Purdue signed a three-way agreement with industry leaders Lam Research and Dassault Systèmes focused on training today’s students for future semiconductor careers and forging next-generation breakthroughs in education and technology development. Through this collaboration, Purdue intends to offer a virtual fabrication tool environment to accelerate workforce training, propel semiconductor research, and facilitate the development of future high-tech components and products.

The memorandum of understanding is the second of the year between Purdue and Dassault Systèmes. The software giant visited Purdue in February to sign a similar partnership focused on semiconductor training, research and sustainability.

Other key global partnerships celebrated in 2024

Purdue-CORIA named global industrial technology center in partnership with Korea

Purdue announced in April it had been designated an overseas partnership institution for global technology cooperation by the Republic of Korea. Purdue is one of only five U.S. institutions, and six worldwide, named as a formal academic partner to foster and promote joint research and development opportunities in critical technology sectors, including semiconductors. 

The Purdue-Korea Center of Operation and Research for Industry Advancement (CORIA) will further advance R&D efforts on emerging and advanced technology capabilities to the mutual benefit of both countries.

Purdue President Mung Chiang joins Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on trip to Costa Rica to advance semiconductor partnerships

Purdue University President Mung Chiang joined Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, senior staffers from the Department of Commerce, and the leadership and members of the Semiconductor Industry Association on a trip to Costa Rica in March to advance semiconductor partnerships to help bolster the global semiconductor ecosystem and build supply chain sustainability and resilience.

As the U.S. seeks to build a more resilient supply chain amid geopolitical tensions, it looks to neighboring nations for potential near-shoring opportunities for semiconductor manufacturing and packaging.

Bonus story

Purdue, industry partners convene second CHIPS summit in D.C. with top international and national leaders

For the second straight year, Purdue and an alliance of industry partners hosted the daylong CHIPS for America: Execute for Global Success summit at the Russell Senate Office Building. The event brought together more than 330 representatives from industry, government and academia in person and online to examine wide-ranging solutions at scale to address the future of U.S. innovation in microelectronics and the semiconductor workforce.

The collaborative event was held in conjunction with SEMI, Semiconductor Industry Association, Semiconductor Research Corp., Global Semiconductor Alliance and Purdue.

In the news

The announcement that SK hynix, a global leader in the semiconductor space, intends to invest $4 billion to build an advanced chip-packaging facility in the Purdue Research Park garnered substantial national attention from leading media, including:

• Business Insider: The U.S. is betting big on AI chips, but there’s a giant flaw in the plan
• Fortune: Foundation laid for ‘Silicon Heartland’ in Indiana with $3.9 billion semiconductor research and development campus, South Korean CEO says
• MarketWatch: SK hynix confirms $3.87B investment in Indiana chip plant
• Reuters: Nvidia supplier SK hynix to invest $3.87B in U.S. chip packaging plant
• The Wall Street Journal: America’s chip renaissance needs workers

The project is expected to create nearly 1,000 new jobs in the West Lafayette area, with operations slated to begin in 2028, furthering Purdue’s efforts to bolster the Silicon Heartland.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four 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, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 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: Wes Mills, wemills@purdue.edu