Purdue University, for the first time, has been named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies – coming in at No. 16 overall and No. 1 in education – for its advances in the vital field of semiconductors and microelectronics.
The only university among Fast Company magazine’s prestigious Top 50 Most Innovative Companies, No. 16 Purdue follows OpenAI (at No. 1, developer of ChatGPT and Dall-E) and leads NASA (No. 17) and The Walt Disney Company (No. 25) as organizations “paving the way for the innovations of tomorrow” and “setting the standard with some of the greatest accomplishments of the modern world.” Overall, the list acknowledges 540 organizations across 54 categories and regions around the world.
Fast Company cited Purdue as a renowned and globally recognized leader in developing a robust and comprehensive program addressing semiconductors through their life cycle from research to training to fabrication to the workforce. The tiny electronics that power almost everything with an “on” switch – and the workforce that keeps them functioning – are vital to almost every industry and product on Fast Company’s list, from NASA’s telescopes to Disney’s animatronic princesses.
“Without chips today, it would be like living in the 1940s,” said Mark Lundstrom, senior advisor to the Purdue president and the university’s chief semiconductor officer. “Chips are the most sophisticated technology that human beings produce, and it takes a highly educated workforce to manufacture them. Purdue is responding with innovation and initiative to prepare the industry’s next generation.”
By 2027 the nation will need a minimum of 50,000 trained semiconductor engineers to meet an accelerating demand for the tiny electronic devices that put the “smart” into our smartphones, cars and medical devices – not to mention our nation’s military and defense technologies.
Purdue answered the call by launching the Semiconductor Degrees Program, a suite of degrees and credentials to enable a quick ramp-up of in-demand skilled talent and create the next generation of semiconductor experts and personnel to reassert American preeminence in this critical industry.
“The graduates from these programs – from PhDs to associate degree-holders – will be at the forefront of innovation as we revitalize American manufacturing,” said Gina M. Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, during a 2022 tour of campus research facilities.
Purdue innovation is helping lead the way in addressing this world issue. Not only is Purdue’s Semiconductor Degrees Program the only large-scale, interdisciplinary semiconductor degree program available in the United States, but it also touts a number of features not found in any other educational program. This includes a host of collaborative opportunities, such as the Department of Defense’s microelectronics workforce development initiative, SCALE (Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement).
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