Recently, university leaders including President Mung Chiang and the Dean of the College of Engineering went on a retreat to discuss the future of the growing semiconductor field at Purdue.
Semiconductors@Purdue, Purdue’s semiconductors and microelectronics program, hosted the retreat where they discussed plans for 2025 including developing the university’s presence as a hub for semiconductor research through competing for research funding according to a Purdue press release.
Another avenue to achieve the dream of becoming a semiconductor research hub is having four faculty members participate in an AI chip project that seeks to translate research conducted at Purdue into marketable technology.
According to the release, Purdue has set a goal to create professional opportunities and generate innovation within the semiconductor industry. Purdue has received national awards for their contribution within the field of semiconductors.
“The recently announced SMART USA Institute is the largest Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors Research and Development (CHIPS R&D) award to Purdue to date,” according to the press release.
This institute seeks to evolve research and education within the industry as well as create new opportunities for semiconductor manufacturing within the workforce.
These opportunities for growth and development of Purdue’s semiconductor industry were made possible with the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022.
Mark Lundstrom, Purdue’s head officer of semiconductor research and former dean of the College of Engineering, has been a force driving the growth of the industry at Purdue and within the state of Indiana.
According to the release, Lundstrom’s efforts within the semiconductor industry were recognized on a statewide level by former governor Eric Holcombe when Lundstrom was awarded one of the state’s highest honors, the Sagamore of the Wabash, in October.
“What our team has accomplished is really remarkable and has set the stage for even bigger things,” Lundstrom said. “We now have an opportunity to create by the end of the decade a new, thriving, vibrant and growing semiconductor cluster right here in the nation’s heartland.”
Within that cluster, the Birck Nanotechnology Center on Purdue’s campus is the core of semiconductor research. Zihonh Chen, director of the facility, is working to make Birck “a national facility that provides state-of-the-art resources to Purdue researchers, peer academic institutions, startup innovators and industry research partners,” according to Chen.
Creating the next generation of semiconductor leaders through comprehensive education is another one of Purdue’s goals for the near future of the industry.
“Purdue’s Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement is quite literally preparing students for essential positions that don’t exist today,” said Kerrie Douglas, an associate professor of engineering education, about the speed at which the semiconductor industry is growing.
SCALE is Purdue’s primary workforce development program for the defense sector. Douglas and Peter Bermel, an Elmore professor of electrical and computer engineering, are the co-directors of this program according to the press release.
In the release, David Janes, co-director of Purdue’s Semiconductor Degrees Program and professor of electrical and computer engineering, said there are 500 students in formal semiconductor programs and almost 3,000 enrolled in courses related to semiconductors.
“Purdue’s efforts to attract students into semiconductor fields and prepare them for careers in multiple segments of the industry are bearing fruit,” said Janes.
