Semiconductor manufacturing in the United States is surging, thanks in large part to funding from the CHIPS and Science Act. This legislation has been a key catalyst to reinvigorating the semiconductor manufacturing industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, President-elect Donald Trump and his allies in Congress have been vocal in their criticism of the legislation, putting forth proposals for new tariffs in lieu of subsidizing domestic industry partners. This has led to a push for additional CHIPS and Science Act funding to be awarded in the coming weeks before President Biden leaves office.
For example, in a recent Manufacturing Dive article, author Joelle Anselmo reports that the Biden administration recently offered California company Akash Systems “up to $18.2 million in proposed CHIPS and Science Act direct funding…[to] support the construction of a 40,000-square-foot cleanroom space within an existing building and transform it into a facility for semiconductor manufacturing.”
Akash Systems, a “satellite technology manufacturer, which now makes chip cooling technology,” expects the project “to create over 400 manufacturing and construction jobs.” The new “facility will focus on diamond cooling technology — which combines synthetic diamond with materials like gallium nitride — as it aims to improve heat dissipation in high-performance semiconductors.”
Anselmo notes that “[t]he technology enhances the reliability and performance of microelectronics and is supposed to improve cooling in AI-focused data centers as well.” It will allow Akash Systems to broaden its markets beyond aerospace to other areas, such as “EV, autonomous vehicles, electric grid power, solar cell markets, AI chips, and wireless circuits.”
Since 2022, the CHIPS and Science Act has been used to award “over $36 billion in proposed funding across 20 states.” Experts believe additional projects may see funding awards in the weeks to come. As semiconductor manufacturing gets a needed domestic boost, companies will need to focus their efforts on developing a pipeline of skilled talent to step into the jobs to be created by the many new projects in progress across the country.
For those interested in establishing a pipeline of skilled talent for future semiconductor manufacturing facilities, the task of training the next generation of semiconductor technicians might seem like a daunting challenge. Fortunately, educational institutions and industry partners don’t need to recreate the wheel.
Amatrol’s unique combination of real industrial training equipment paired with cutting-edge eLearning curriculum can be used to create a modern semiconductor technician training program that will set up students and workers for success.
With over 30 years of experience, Amatrol remains the world’s leader in technical education. The experts at Amatrol regularly guide educational institutions and industry clients through the process of customizing training programs to achieve specific goals.
For more information about how Amatrol can help you inspire and train the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing workers, visit the Amatrol website to download the Amatrol 2024 Semiconductor Manufacturing Career Playbook.
