9/21/2026 John Martin
Purdue University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.) signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday (Sept. 18) to establish a joint semiconductor workforce development initiative to prepare students for careers in an industry whose rapid growth is being driven by the AI boom.
Written by John Martin
Purdue University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.) signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday (Sept. 18) to establish a joint semiconductor workforce development initiative to prepare students for careers in an industry whose rapid growth is being driven by the AI boom.
The initiative between two powerhouse engineering schools will focus on semiconductor manufacturing sectors including semiconductor fabrication plants, equipment and materials; chip design, engineering, verification and testing; and advanced packaging. Governed in part by a shared industry advisory board, the partnership will serve as a coordinated point of engagement for industry partners seeking a trained talent pipeline from both universities.
“We are delighted to announce this partnership with The Grainger College of Engineering at the U. of I. to educate the next generation of the semiconductor workforce at a time when it’s hard, if not impossible, to overstate the importance of semiconductor technology,” said Mark Lundstrom, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Purdue’s College of Engineering and Purdue’s chief semiconductor officer. “Semiconductors today are a foundational technology, powering everything from smartphones and transportation to GPS navigation, weather prediction, energy, healthcare, defense, digital agriculture and the compute heft underpinning artificial intelligence.”
“Through this new partnership with Purdue Engineering centered around semiconductor workforce development, and in close consort with our industry board, we will help meet the demand for a trained, ready-to-go semiconductor workforce, both regionally and nationally,” said Rashid Bashir, Grainger Engineering dean and vice chancellor of Chicago Strategic Partnerships at the U. of I. “Strategic collaborations like this provide another opportunity to address pressing global challenges during a time of rapid technological advancement in a way that highlights the capabilities of our intelligent students and visionary faculty members.”
The need for a skilled workforce continues to rise as AI grows. The U.S. semiconductor industry faces a potential shortfall of 157,000 skilled workforce personnel by 2030, according to a report from Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, McKinsey & Company and the National Science Foundation (NSF). It is estimated that at least 50,000 of that total should be trained semiconductor engineers.
Falling short of those numbers could potentially hinder the competitiveness of the U.S. semiconductor industry, which is helping drive the American economy as AI booms.
Industry has been heavily involved in supporting and advising the universities’ programs, including participation on Purdue’s Semiconductor Degrees Leadership Board (SDLB), composed of senior executives from more than 30 semiconductor companies.
“Technology innovation never stops, and without skilled talent at every level, there is no innovation. Semiconductors are fundamental to the AI and digital world we live in,” SDLB co-chairs Keyvan Esfarjani, former executive vice president and chief global operations officer at Intel, and Anthony Yen, head of the ASML Technology Development Center, said in a joint statement. “We are very excited to see two top engineering universities, Purdue and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, come together to accelerate their successful semiconductor talent programs to even higher levels that will drive the next generation of innovation and manufacturing.”
Building on a strong foundation
Purdue and U. of I. already serve vital roles in developing talent for the semiconductor industry, including strong academic programs across engineering and related STEM fields and long-standing semiconductor research and education programs.
Both institutions have consistently responded to the industry’s need for a new generation of engineers and scientists. The initiative is part of the universities’ efforts to advance American semiconductor design and manufacturing.
Purdue’s Semiconductor Degrees Program includes a university-wide semiconductor certificate, departmental concentrations/minors, online graduate degrees and programs and multi-semester experiential learning programs to complement industry internships. Student projects in semiconductor manufacturing are housed in the Birck Nanotechnology Center, which has received recent upgrades to support translational research and educational programs. Purdue also leads the Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement program, a network of university, government and industry partners that is the preeminent U.S. program for semiconductor workforce development in the defense sector.
U. of I. has two NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers – the Center for Advanced Semiconductor Chips with Accelerated Performance (ASAP) and the Center for Advanced Electronics Through Machine Learning; an existing Samsung training partnership; a collegewide semiconductor minor; the industry-funded Illinois Plasma Institute, where industry partners can pair their own research and development staff with academic researchers to advance commercialization of new technologies; a nationally recognized blended-degree program experience; and industry-aligned PhD programs. Grainger Engineering also leads the Illinois Semiconductor Workforce Network, an initiative initially funded by the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to train engineers and technicians for microelectronics manufacturing.
Purdue and U. of I. have agreed in principle to combine their strengths into a joint semiconductor workforce initiative, beginning with the universities and open to future regional expansion.
Building on their complementary industry-focused certificates, minors and concentrations, the institutions will explore joint program formats including experiential learning opportunities and expanded industry-focused graduate programs. They will also jointly hold recruiting and research events in Indiana and Illinois.
The leadership team for the new partnership includes Shaloo Rakheja, associate professor in Grainger Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and David Janes, professor in Purdue’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the university’s Semiconductor Degrees Program. With the initiative’s focus on industry support, a third person with strong industry experience and ties to academia will be appointed as executive director.
“We already partner with other universities and industry on semiconductor education, and this initiative with Purdue can only strengthen the regional reach of this educational and training push for this most critical of sectors,” Rakheja said. “It is vital that the U.S. source semiconductor expertise and its supporting supply chain onshore, from design through manufacturing, for economic competitiveness and national security. Purdue Engineering and Grainger Engineering are proud to do their part to advance this effort.”
Industry in the loop
The initiative will include a joint industry advisory board to provide guidance on workforce needs and to help direct program priorities. Input from various industry sectors will be sought regarding key disciplines, precompetitive technical topics and professional skills. This input will be translated into focused lists of recommended courses and programs for students interested in each segment as sector-specific concentrations within minors and certificates.
Both schools will engage industry to support and participate in experiential learning programs, including on-campus programs, lab funding, experiential clean-room training, research projects, vertically integrated projects, and internships and co-ops.
“There is strength in numbers, whether it be electronic circuits and transistor switches on a computer chip or the number of U.S. institutions offering semiconductor workforce development education,” Janes said. “Purdue Engineering and Grainger Engineering are excited to join forces in this shared contribution to such a vital national interest.”