Since the adoption of last year’s CHIPS and Science Act, which aimed to bring chip manufacturing back to the United States, semiconductor companies around the world have announced a number of new multi-billion dollar US greenfield fabs. This is great news for the country, but it also comes with big challenges. Where will the industry find the estimated 50,000 qualified workers needed to staff these new factories? There is no workaround. The combination of several measures could strengthen factory human capital retention, fill talent pipelines and accelerate the recruitment of skilled workers in the coming months.
Maintain existing semiconductor jobs at all costs
Tackling the global skilled labor shortage must begin with maintaining current semiconductor employment in traditional factories. Some chip makers have already built factory workforce retention as an integral part of their manufacturing strategy. It’s no coincidence that Texas Instruments (TI) purchased Micron’s working 300mm fab in Lehi, Utah last February and chose to build another new 300mm fab next to its existing campus. . TI recognized the significant strategic advantage of being able to immediately rehire all of her 1,215 highly skilled employees at the plant.
On April 26, Bosch announced the acquisition of the TSI Semiconductor factory in Roseville, California, and plans to invest $1.5 billion in the facility over the next few years, a move that will benefit the U.S. semiconductor industry and, in turn, its employees. a big win for Dr. Stephan Hartung, Chairman of the Bosch Management Board, declares: “The existing cleanroom facility in Roseville and 250 specialist staff will enable us to manufacture SiC chips for electromobility on an even larger scale.” Did.
Utilization of technology
Some US companies are helping solve the skilled labor shortage by deploying artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) solutions in their wafer fabs. For example, Seattle, Washington-based Tignis has increased productivity and reduced talent risk for its few data scientists in the market. “One advantage that many manufacturing plants do not immediately realize is how AI/ML can positively impact their operations beyond the advanced data analytics that AI/ML offers. ‘, explains David Park, the company’s vice president of marketing.
“Deploying AI/ML models into high-volume production environments reduces the repetitive workload of enterprise data scientists, leading to greater job satisfaction and retention,” added Park. “We also see AI/ML models being used to democratize organizational knowledge in semiconductor manufacturing. Not only does it provide 365 days a year, but it is also a blueprint that others can learn from as they mature their data science roles within their organizations.”
Training the next generation of semiconductor workers
For CHIPS to succeed, wafer fabs will need thousands of skilled workers, and US engineering schools are now racing to build a talent pipeline. Universities and community colleges are forging strategic partnerships with key industry players as well as each other to revamp semiconductor-related curricula and train the staff needed to work in future U.S. semiconductor manufacturing facilities. there is
Skywater Technology invested $1.8 billion to build a new wafer fab in West Lafayette, Indiana, right next door to Purdue University. The university has launched an interdisciplinary semiconductor degree program that offers undergraduate and graduate students a wide range of options to acquire the core skills needed in semiconductors. industry.
This year, the city of Purdue will launch a new program aimed at educating Skywater employees. Supported by state and local economic development agencies, the program includes operator and technician training through associate degree courses at partner Ivy Tech Community Her College.
Enhancing diversity and inclusion
A 2020 study conducted by McKinsey & Company found that companies that increased diversity and inclusion in their workplace saw a 19% increase in innovation revenue and a 35% performance advantage over similar companies. maintained and became 36% more profitable.The big success was that Intel Supplier diversity and inclusion Three years ago, the company announced a goal to increase annual global spending on diverse suppliers to $2 billion by 2030. On May 11, 2023, Intel announced that its spending on diverse suppliers will reach $2.2 billion in 2022, eight years ahead of him. That’s about 15x his annual total and double his 2019 performance. The company also achieved two of his goals early. By the end of 2023, he will spend $250 million with black-owned suppliers in the U.S. By the end of 2023, he will spend $800 million a year with minority-owned suppliers around the world.
The US CHIPS Act encourages chipmakers to develop programs to attract more women into the semiconductor workforce by providing affordable, high-quality childcare services. The SEMI Foundation, the non-profit arm of SEMI, was recently established. Chip in!a documentary that aired on PBS in April to encourage more people to consider a career in microelectronics.
With nearly 200,000 military personnel leaving the U.S. military each year, many programs are being developed to encourage more veterans to enter the semiconductor workforce.One good example is 10 weeks Veteran Semiconductor Training and Experience Program (Vet STEP) Offered by NATEC (Northeast Advanced Technological Education Center) to train veterinarians. The program includes two weeks of hands-on training in advanced manufacturing and his eight-week internship at a partner chip manufacturer.
As a global industry, we must continue to make talent availability in fab relocations a priority and make the semiconductor industry a more attractive career option for all demographics. By uniting and acting on multiple fronts simultaneously, we can curb the current skilled labor shortage in our factories and make a big difference in staffing high-paying technical jobs in the near future. .
About the author
Stephen M. Rothrock founded ATREG, Inc. in 2000 and serves as its president and CEO. He helps global advanced technology companies sell and buy infrastructure-rich manufacturing assets such as wafer fabs (front-end and back-end) and his MEMS, solar, display, and R&D facilities. established a company in Over the past 24 years, his firm has completed over 100 of his transactions. It accounts for his more than 40% of operating shell, warm shell and cold shell operating wafer fabrication sales worldwide in the semiconductor industry. Recent global acquisitions and divestitures include Allegro MicroSystems, Elmos, Fujitsu, GlobalFoundries, IBM, imec, Infineon, JDI, Panasonic, Micron, NXP, onsemi, Sony, Qualcomm, Renesas, Robert Bosch, Texas Instruments, VIS is involved. Please name a few.
Prior to founding ATREG, Steven founded Colliers International’s global corporate services initiative and led the US division of the company based in Seattle, Washington. Prior to that, he worked as a Director at Savills, London, UK. He is an international board member of a listed real estate company. He also worked for an international NGO near Paris, France for four years. Stephen holds an MA in Political Theology from the University of Hull, UK, and a BA in Business Commerce from the University of Washington, Seattle.
