)The Center Square) – Three colleges, all in central Texas, are advancing semiconductor innovation and technology research and development through a new state-funded initiative.
This month, Temple College received a $9.8 million Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) grant to build a new Central Texas Chips Hub in Taylor.
Temple College, along with university partner Texas A&M University – Central Texas (TAMUCT), is using the funds to build a new Central Texas Chips Hub to advance skills training for students to obtain careers in semiconductor manufacturing.
“Texas is where the next generation of innovation and technology is building, thanks to our skilled and growing workforce,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “Through hands-on workforce training, Temple College opened doors to high-demand, good-paying careers for students throughout its nearly 100-year history.
“By establishing the Central Texas Chips Hub in Taylor, Temple College will expand skills training opportunities and create a continuous talent pipeline to meet employer demands in our leading semiconductor manufacturing industry. Together with our higher education partners, we will connect more Texans to better jobs and bigger paycheck opportunities that we provide in Texas.”
The grant is an outworking of Abbott prioritizing Texas leading the U.S. in chip manufacturing when supply chain shortages and backlogs began under the Biden administration. In 2023, the state legislature passed Texas’ CHIPS Act, which created a new Texas CHIPS Office, the TISF fund and grant, and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium, The Center Square reported.
Temple College President Dr. Christy Ponce said the investment in education and workforce development was “not only preparing our community for successful careers in semiconductor and advanced manufacturing but also supporting the economic growth of Central Texas. The program will equip students and professionals with the essential skills needed to thrive in one of the fastest-growing sectors in the nation.”
The hub will offer upskilling and reskilling programs for veterans, is open to high school students participating in expanding career and technical education programs and to adults in the region who want to explore high-demand career opportunities.
Students will be able to obtain industry-recognized credentials, short-term workforce training and certifications, dual credits, stackable credentials, an associate degree and an onsite applied science bachelor’s degree with a focus on manufacturing and semiconductor technology and a military transition training program, Temple College Vice President of Workforce Development DeDe Griffith said ub a statement. “The hub will also serve as a testbed for research. The complete training system and the new degree pathways will be available at Temple College’s main campus in Temple and at the Temple College campus in Taylor, just a few miles from Samsung.”
The Austin Community College District (ACC) received the first TSIF grant this year in August of $3.6 million. It is using the funds to build an advanced semiconductor manufacturing lab and precision welding lab at its Round Rock Campus in East Williamson County.
ACC’s initiative includes a new 2,600-square-foot lab to simulate a real-world semiconductor manufacturing environment. It includes a classroom, airlock transition space, simulated clean room, Fanuc Fenceless robotics system, Smart Factory Machine Sensor Trainer and tools like process metrology microscopes and automation studio software. It’s also building a new welding fabrication skills training lab at an existing, 3,728-square-foot space at the Round Rock campus.
In Austin, a new quantum-enhanced semiconductor metrology facility is being built at the University of Texas-Austin with the help of a $4.8 million TSIF grant, The Center Square reported. The new QLab metrology facility will support the semiconductor and emerging quantum industries in Texas and academic research in metrology.
“Central Texas is quickly becoming one of the most important semiconductor corridors in the nation, securing both our economic future and national security,” state Sen. Charles Schwertner said. Advancing semiconductor research and manufacturing “ensures Texans, not overseas competitors, will power the next generation of technological innovation.”
Prior to the Texas CHIPS Act, Texas already ranked first in the country for semiconductor manufacturing. Abbott maintains the Texas CHIPS Act and ongoing investments in the semiconductor industry “encourage semiconductor-related companies to expand in the state, further develop the expertise and capacity of Texas institutions of higher education, and maintain the state’s position as the nation’s leader in semiconductor manufacturing.”
Through the Texas CHIPS Act, nearly $700 million worth of taxpayer-funded grants is being awarded through the TSIF. Many grants have been awarded to companies with multi-billion-dollar valuations, including Samsung, a Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company subsidiary, among others, The Center Square reported.
