As the semiconductor industry continues to grow and diversify, the need for properly educated design professionals will increase. Mainstream analog and digital integrated circuit (IC) design demands will be supplemented by needs in emerging areas such as security, autonomous vehicles, wearable medical sensors and bio-chips, energy-chips, sensor arrays and MEMS. New York Universities have been a primary resource of talent to the industry for many years.
A key feature will be a national first – new academic programs led by Clarkson University and workforce development programming led by State University of New York (SUNY) Adirondack to drive an increase in engineers with chip design experience and provide career transition for those already in the workforce considering a change.
The $1.5 trillion advanced electronics industry includes systems powered by design of integrated circuits that are catalysts of current and future global economic productivity. These applications drive advancements in sectors ranging from smart devices and appliances, to energy infrastructure systems, building automation, automotive, communication, drones and more. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to establish the region as a hub for the design of advanced semiconductor chips and electronic systems powering more and more of daily life and economic productivity.
Clarkson University, with support from other New York State Universities, will lead the Educational Consortia. Objectives and goals will include:
- Increase the number of graduates from the current level of approximately 750 to 1500 over the next 10 years;
- Increase the experiential relevance of the graduates by creating a partnership with IC manufacturers to support wafer starts.