Austin Community College District (ACC) was awarded a $3.6 million grant through the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) to expand its advanced training facilities and labs for semiconductor programs. As the first higher education institution in Texas to receive this prestigious grant, ACC is helping drive a nationwide effort to strengthen U.S. chip manufacturing. This investment reinforces the College’s position at the forefront of preparing the skilled workforce needed to power the future of technology.
The funds will be used to build a new semiconductor lab and a special orbital welding program on campus, ultimately helping to train hundreds of individuals a year, providing much-needed talent to sustain the continued growth of semiconductor manufacturing in Central Texas and beyond.
“Texas continues to lead America’s resurgence in semiconductor manufacturing thanks to our highly skilled and growing workforce,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “Already recognized as a national model for semiconductor workforce training, ACC will establish a new semiconductor advanced manufacturing lab and a precision welding skills lab on its campus in Round Rock. Working together with our higher education partners and industry leaders, we will ensure the chips that drive the innovative technologies of tomorrow are made in Texas.”
“For the first time, students and employers on Austin’s north side will have ready access to ACC’s nationally renowned semiconductor manufacturing training programs,” says Dr. Laura Marmolejo, ACC dean of Advanced Manufacturing. “They can start with customized industry-aligned certifications and continue on to earn an associate degree and even a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering technology. ”
ACC’s training programs are recognized as some of the nation’s best and have received the exclusive Fundamental Semiconductor Knowledge Certification from the SEMI Foundation.
What the Grant Will Build
ACC will reserve approximately 10,000 square feet of new learning spaces at the Round Rock Campus to support semiconductor manufacturing training.
Approximately $3.17 million in TSIF funding will help establish a semiconductor advanced manufacturing lab on the campus. The space will include the Samsung Austin Semiconductor Advanced Manufacturing Classroom, named in appreciation of a $200,000 gift from Samsung Austin Semiconductor to help expand the College’s semiconductor training program. It also includes a simulation of a real-world semiconductor fabrication facility, complete with a locker room and gowning area, airlock transition space, a simulated clean room, and a back-of-house storage/gas storage room.
TSIF funding will also pay for new, state-of-the-art tools to train students in precision welding and fabrication to support semiconductor manufacturing.
The new learning spaces and tools will allow ACC to provide a more convenient outlet for customized incumbent worker training for semiconductor manufacturers who are located in Austin’s northern region, including Samsung’s $17 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility in Taylor that is scheduled for completion next year. The funding also allows the College to expand the availability of certificate, associate degree, and continuing education advanced manufacturing programs.
About the Grant Program
The Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund is used to award grants to leverage Texas’s expertise and capacity at its higher education institutions and maintain the state’s position as the nation’s leader in semiconductor manufacturing. The Texas CHIPS Act establishes the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium (TSIC) and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF).
To learn more about the College’s semiconductor training programs, visit austincc.edu/semiconductor.