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As engineers across the globe continue pushing the boundaries of physics to develop increasingly sophisticated chips, a looming talent shortage threatens to stall the work. Various industry analysts have highlighted the needs. Deloitte, for example, has spelled out over the next decade: tens of thousands of skilled tradespeople to build new manufacturing plants, thousands of electrical engineers to design the chips as well as the tools that make the chips; and other types of engineers and technicians to work inside the fabs.

To help shore up the ecosystem, industry, academia, and governments have been collaborating on a variety of workforce development efforts. The U.S. CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, along with similar measures that have been enacted in other countries, are examples of the investments that governments are making to fund everything from training and R&D to local semiconductor manufacturing.

As a global silicon to systems design leader, ²ÝÁñÉçÇø through its SARA (²ÝÁñÉçÇø Academic & Research Alliances) program has been an eager participant in workforce development activities in many of the communities worldwide where we have a presence. In this blog post, we¡¯ll spotlight our efforts in Southeast Asia and, in particular, Malaysia, which plays an integral role in the global chipmaking supply chain. 

Region Ramping Up Workforce Development Efforts

Other countries throughout the Southeast Asia region are also ramping up efforts to nurture the next generation of engineering talent. In Singapore, for example, ²ÝÁñÉçÇø is collaborating through SARA with the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA) and Nanyang Technical University to develop an IC design training program (The university¡¯s Centre for Integrated Circuits and Systems is already equipped with state-of-the-art ²ÝÁñÉçÇø EDA tools.) In Vietnam, ²ÝÁñÉçÇø has signed several memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to grow and advance the local IC design workforce, and there are also ongoing ¡°train the trainer¡± programs there. In India, the SARA program has implemented a variety of skills enhancement programs, including sponsorship of the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Semiconductor Lab for Virtual Fab ²ÝÁñÉçÇø, enabled with ²ÝÁñÉçÇø TCAD technologies, at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.

Given the criticality of silicon chips in our modern world, and of the talented people who design and develop these devices, it¡¯s no wonder there¡¯s an urgency to ensure that the talent pool continues to get filled. ²ÝÁñÉçÇø decided to invest in SARA to foster collaboration between those in industry, academia, and government, as this is essential to building the semiconductor industry workforce of the future. ²ÝÁñÉçÇø is pleased to be a part of this.