Matthew Morrison, associate teaching professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, spoke on the challenges and opportunities of semiconductor education and workforce development at the November NDnano Network meeting.
With its goal of restoring U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 has moved the topic of workforce development in the semiconductor industry into the spotlight.
In his talk, Dr. Morrison highlighted issues with the semiconductor supply chain as well as recent developments (such as new infrastructure and legislation) to counter the issues. Of critical importance, he explained, is the need to cultivate a new generation of scientists and engineers capable of contributing to the development of integrated circuit design at every level. According to Morrison, current estimates indicate the U.S. has a deficit of 70,000 semiconductor engineers.
The overwhelming focus of electronic design automation (EDA) education is at the master’s and doctoral levels, which is not sufficient to meet this growing and crucial need. Dr. Morrison emphasized that making EDA education accessible at the bachelor’s, associate’s, vocational, and high school levels is needed to meet the long-term economic demands of the industry.
Dr. Morrison was recently awarded a Google Visiting Faculty Research Fellowship to integrate semiconductor chip design software into K-12 and university curricula to accelerate the training of semiconductor hardware professionals in the U.S.
He is also partnering with several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as part of Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI). The REJI provides support for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math opportunities at HBCUs and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Dr. Morrison will provide semiconductor design curriculum that partner schools can use to develop programs for the next generation of chip designers.
To learn more on the topic, read this article on the talent pipeline published in Semiconductor Engineering, in which Dr. Morrison is among those interviewed.
NDnano sponsors monthly networking meetings to provide a forum for faculty and staff to discuss recent research, probe new ideas, and connect with new collaborators. Notre Dame faculty and staff are invited to attend and join in the discussion to learn and advance research at Notre Dame. Visit the NDnano events page to learn about future networking sessions.