Semiconductors@Purdue

Purdue University is home to large scale, impactful, interdisciplinary research and learning in semiconductors. A strong, critical mass of researchers sets Purdue apart by spanning the full stack of semiconductors R&D; from materials and devices, to circuits, systems, architecture, and advanced packaging integration. Purdue currently leads three and participates in two Semiconductor Research Corporation funded multi-university research programs. Strong connections to industry, such as DoD, Commerce/NIST, and NSF, support one of the nation's largest and best semiconductors research programs.

Purdue's reputation as an R&D; trailblazer is matched by its leadership in workforce development. In May 2022, we launched the Semiconductor Degrees Program, a full suite of degrees and credentials options for semiconductors education, ranging from on-campus courses to a new set of degrees, competitive internships, innovative Learning While Working program, flexible online courses, and virtual lab. Purdue leads the Scalable Asymmetric Life Cycle Engagement (SCALE), a five-year, DoD sponsored national coalition of 19 universities aimed at addressing the urgent need to develop a highly skilled U.S. microelectronics workforce to bolster national security.

In summer 2022, Purdue announced a partnership with SkyWater Technologies to build a $1.8B fab on campus, and another partnership with MediaTek to build the company's first semiconductor chip design center in the Midwest, to be housed on Purdue's campus. Together with IEDC and Navy Crane, Indiana is building a strong semiconductor ecosystem as the heart of the Silicon Heartland.

In May and June 2023, Purdue has announced four like-minded global partnerships in semiconductor workforce and innovation. On May 3rd, Purdue University and the State of Indiana announced an R&D; partnership with imec during the SelectUSA Investment Summit. The following week, Purdue signed an agreement to become the flagship academic partner and collaborator with the government of India, establishing Purdue as a key collaborator with the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). At G7 on May 21st, in Hiroshima, Japan, Purdue signed another landmark international agreement, partnering with Micron, Tokyo Electron, and other educational institutions in the U.S. and Japan to establish the "UPWARDS Network" for workforce advancement and research and development in semiconductors. On June 19, Purdue and TSMC renewed the partnership in the Center for Secure Microelectronics Ecosystems.

As part of Purdue@DC, the full-day CHIPS for America: Execute for Success 2023 Policy and Strategy Summit, held at the Russell Senate Office Building on April 18th, 2023, convened hundreds of attendees representing over 175 entities from over 23 states, and focused on strategies to execute the vision outlined in CHIPS for America: Vision for Success. Featuring a fireside keynote with Secretary Gina Raimondo and Senator Todd Young, the Summit highlighted the implementation of federal investments and future policy actions and facilitated the creation of government, industry, and academic partnerships.

"Semiconductor excellence at scale runs deep within the DNA of Purdue. From the invention of MOSFET by Mohamed Atalla, a proud Boilermaker engineer, to the creation of the Silicon Valley by Fred Terman who hailed from the Hoosier soil. Today, Purdue is America's semiconductor university, where cutting-edge research, workforce development, and 'lab-to-fab' collaboration with industry converge. With over 50 esteemed faculty in the nation's top 4 engineering college, we have launched the first comprehensive Semiconductor Degrees Program, welcomed the Skywater fab to campus, formed an R&D; partnership with imec, established Purdue as a key collaborator with India Semiconductor Mission, and signed the U.S.-Japan semiconductor agreement at the G7 summit. Together with the state of Indiana and Navy Crane, and leading with actions on national policies in Washington D.C., Purdue is at the heart of the Silicon Heartland."