Taiwan Delegation, NC State College of Engineering Convene on Semiconductor Innovation

NC State University’s College of Engineering welcomed a distinguished Taiwanese delegation organized by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) last week for a campus visit that centered on the Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide-bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) as the U.S. and Taiwan explore potential partnerships to advance semiconductors and microelectronics innovation and manufacturing.

CLAWS was the third of three Microelectronics Commons hubs the delegation visited during their 12-day trip.

“The CLAWS team was honored to show our innovative ‘lab to fab’ capabilities and research foundry to the distinguished delegation from Taiwan,” said John Muth, Progress Energy Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of CLAWS. “NC State University and the state of North Carolina offer many benefits — including a highly educated workforce — to companies seeking to bring semiconductor manufacturing to the United States. By working with the leading country in the world in semiconductor production, we would have an incredible opportunity to grow the industry within the state while furthering global technological advancements.”)

The visit, which ran from May 8-9, included dinner at the Park Alumni Center; panels and conversation on research, potential partnerships and workforce development; breakfast at the North Carolina Executive Mansion; and gift exchanges.

The directors of four NC State research centers — the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Logistics, or CAMAL; the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Systems Engineering Research Center, or the FREEDM Center; the Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform for Advanced Wireless, or AERPAW; and CLAWS — convened for a panel on semiconductors and advanced manufacturing. Later in the day, the delegation toured each of these centers.

Partnering organizations for the visit included the North Carolina Department of Commerce; the North Carolina Office of Science, Technology & Innovation; the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina; Wake County Economic Development; and the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office, also known as TECO.

“Our College of Engineering is providing a highly skilled workforce for some of the fastest growing industries, including advanced manufacturing, biotechnology and tech. I know that we play a key role in growing North Carolina’s semiconductor industry and building partnerships with private companies because we are already doing it. We have proven that we can develop excellent talent pipelines and innovative research hubs that strengthen the economy and lead to groundbreaking research,” said Louis Martin-Vega Dean of Engineering Jim Pfaendtner. “I enjoyed talking with the delegation about NC State’s strengths and learning from them about Taiwanese innovations and potential opportunities to work together.”

This post was originally published in College of Engineering News.