Purdue ECE helps drive the growing semiconductor ecosystem in Bangladesh
What began as an effort to strengthen semiconductor education in Bangladesh has grown into a national push to build a technology-driven economy, with Purdue University playing a visible role.
The National Semiconductor Symposium and BEAR Summit 2026, held July 25-26 in Dhaka, brought together government officials, global semiconductor leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs and students to discuss how Bangladesh can become a larger part of the worldwide semiconductor industry.
The event marked a major milestone for Silicon River, an initiative led by Purdue ECE Professor Muhammad Mustafa Hussain that has spent roughly 18 months connecting education, workforce development, research, industry, government and entrepreneurship in Bangladesh.
Nearly 3,900 people registered for the summit, which included two plenary sessions and seven panels on topics ranging from talent development and research to commercialization and international partnerships. The event also produced concrete next steps, including 38 innovations selected for further development, a semiconductor workforce-development program targeting 3,500 people and expanded university access to professional chip-design tools.
The gathering also signaled a significant change in Bangladesh's national economic strategy. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman identified semiconductors as a national priority and a potential next major source of economic growth after the country's ready-made garment industry. The government has also committed to supporting semiconductor research, innovation and entrepreneurship while reducing tax barriers.
"For the young people of Bangladesh, this is about making an opportunity that once seemed distant feel achievable," Hussain said. "Over the past 18 months, we have worked to connect education, research, industry, government and the global Bangladeshi community so that talent has a real pathway from learning to innovation to economic impact."
At the summit, Hussain delivered the "Silicon River Vision Address 2026," outlining a long-term framework that connects workforce development, research, intellectual property, shared infrastructure, product development, entrepreneurship, global partnerships and commercialization. The summit's recommendations call for Silicon River to serve as a coordinating framework connecting government, universities, industry, researchers, startups, investors and Bangladeshi professionals around the world.
Purdue's involvement extended beyond Hussain's leadership.
Dimitrios Peroulis, Senior Vice President for Partnerships and Online and Reilly Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, delivered the summit's global academic plenary. He highlighted Purdue's experience building semiconductor education and workforce programs at scale, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, online education for working professionals and technician training partnerships.
"Building a semiconductor ecosystem begins with people," Peroulis said. "Purdue has seen firsthand how education at scale, combined with strong partnerships, can create opportunities for students and strengthen an entire technology ecosystem. Bangladesh has tremendous talent and ambition, and education will be essential to turning that potential into lasting impact."
Hussain also participated in a panel focused on Bangladesh's semiconductor and STEM workforce, where he emphasized four priorities: quality, inclusion, speed and scale. He pointed to Purdue's experience helping train tens of thousands of students in semiconductor technologies as evidence that workforce development can expand rapidly when universities, government and industry work together.
The broader Silicon River strategy does not call for Bangladesh to immediately build the most expensive types of chip factories. Instead, the roadmap recommends building from the country's existing strengths in talent and chip design toward intellectual property, testing, packaging, products, companies and eventually higher-value manufacturing.
For Hussain, the summit was less a finish line than evidence that the groundwork is beginning to take hold.
"The goal was never simply to hold a conference or make an announcement," Hussain said. "The goal is to build a sustainable ecosystem that creates skills, jobs, intellectual property, products and companies. BEAR Summit 2026 showed what becomes possible when people and institutions begin moving in the same direction."