As public and private investment pours into semiconductor research, development and production, the need for specialized industry workers in the U.S. is surging. Georgia Tech is partnering with Apple to meet the demand.
Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering has joined Apple’s New Silicon Initiative, a program preparing students for careers in hardware technology, computer architecture and silicon chip design, according to a press release Tuesday from the school.
The program will provide expanded coursework for undergraduate and graduate students looking to learn more about microelectronic circuits and hardware design, along with scholarship and fellowship opportunities. Students can also connect with Apple engineers through mentorships, networking events and guest lectures.
“Working with Apple as part of its New Silicon Initiative allows us to bridge the skills gap for a workforce in (integrated circuit) design and computer architecture by preparing students with the technical abilities and skills to enter a rapidly evolving, always in-demand industry,” Arijit Raychowdhury, professor and chair of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said in the press release.
Georgia Tech is the eighth university to be part of Apple’s NSI program, which launched in 2019.
Semiconductors are at the heart of most, if not all, modern electronics, from personal computers to cars. Much of the manufacturing of semiconductors is concentrated in Asia, but in 2022 the Biden-Harris Administration signed the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act into law to bolster domestic production and reduce American reliance on chips made in other countries.
Since 2022, semiconductor-related companies have announced more than $200 billion in private manufacturing investments in the U.S., according to numbers cited by the White House. The first materials firm to obtain funding under the CHIPS Act — Absolics, a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate SK Group — operates a factory in Covington, where it pumps out thousands of glass substrates used to produce semiconductors.
This is not the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s first collaboration with Apple. In 2022, the school launched an undergraduate design course focused on large-scale integrated digital circuits with the tech giant.
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