Dive Brief:
- The Department of Defense has increased funding for a microelectronics workforce development program contract to more than $100 million, Purdue University announced Wednesday.
- The money will be distributed among the 35 partner universities in the Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement program to help address workforce needs in microelectronics design and manufacturing, according to the press release.
- The backing is considered Purdue’s “largest-ever federally funded research effort.” An allocation amount was not disclosed, but the funds will carry the SCALE network through fiscal year 2027.
Dive Insight:
The extra funding will allow the SCALE program to provide more hands-on learning opportunities for non-traditional students, such as military veterans, according to the press release.
It will also provide opportunities for students through defense internships and apprenticeships, as well as prioritize creating a foundation for students to develop, manufacture and test artificial intelligence-enabled, secure integrated systems.
“Our industry partners see this commitment and recognize that participating in SCALE is a strong investment in developing the skilled workforce they need,” Mark Lundstrom, Purdue’s chief semiconductor officer and electrical and computer engineering professor, said in a statement. “And SCALE, through this latest funding, will be able to leverage Purdue’s leadership in semiconductor education to grow a sustained pipeline of highly skilled U.S. citizen microelectronics talent, which is foundational to our national security.”
The SCALE initiative was established in 2020 in an effort to meet the “urgent” demand for U.S. microelectronics engineers, hardware designers, and manufacturing experts in the defense sector, according to its website. The program is also part of DOD’s microelectronics activity strategy to recruit, develop, and retain the semiconductor workforce in the defense sector.
SCALE started with $19.2 million in its inception and DOD funding has gradually increased since then. Over the past 18 months, SCALE’s return on investment has “nearly tripled,” Dan DeLaurentis, Purdue’s executive vice president for research and aeronautics and astronautics professor, said in a statement. For every dollar invested, the ROI reached $9.50, “while the cost per student has been cut in half.”
The program offers courses, mentoring and internship matching. Additionally, SCALE targets research projects for college students interested in several microelectronics specialty areas, such as radiation-hardening, heterogeneous integration/advanced packaging, system on a chip, embedded system security/trusted AI and supply chain awareness.
Moreover, SCALE provides job placement assistance for graduate and undergraduate students.
The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division manages the DOD-funded initiative, according to the press release. Purdue leads the SCALE network of 35 academic partners, which include Arizona State University, Air Force Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, University of California-Berkeley and Vanderbilt University.
Furthermore, SCALE has over 60 industry partners involved in the program, including Boeing, Intel, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
“By collaborating across sectors and technical domains while developing an understanding of their needs and values, we have a unique opportunity to connect and serve academia, industry and government simultaneously,” Peter Bermel, SCALE co-director and Purdue electrical and computer engineering professor, said in an April 16 statement.
DOD has recently funded other projects. In April, the agency awarded more than $200 million in year-two awards to 26 projects across eight regional hubs under the Microelectronics Commons program, which is also funded through the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division.
DOD also contributed in the $21.4 million in funding to 14 projects through BioMADE, a Manufacturing USA member and Manufacturing Innovation Institute sponsored by the agency. The projects will focus on growing and developing the U.S. bioindustrial manufacturing industry.
