SEMI Foundation

The semiconductor industry, once a hidden force in technology, is now recognized as a pivotal driver of the modern economy. As the engine behind everything from smartphones to smart cities, semiconductors fuel innovation and shape how students learn, play, and engage with the world, making chips a crucial factor in shaping our collective future as the climate changes.In line with SEMI Sustainability Initiative participation at Climate Week NYC, we are preparing a groundbreaking pilot program at the intersection of youth empowerment, workforce development, and climate action. To help the semiconductor industry develop a climate-literate workforce, the SEMI Climate Equity Social Impact Working Group and the SEMI Foundation have partnered to develop a global K-12 program open to all SEMI members for participation and sponsorship. The program will share best practices and resources such as those that follow in this article.SEMI will announce the program at the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly known as COP29, which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11-22, 2024. SEMI members are encouraged to become partners and help shape the program ahead of COP29. Contact us to learn more and participate in the announcement.The Opportunity for Semiconductor Industry Climate Leadership It’s not enough for students to simply be aware of climate change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Awareness alone won’t protect communities or help solve the problems we may all face in the future. We must prepare the next generation to be climate-literate — providing them with the knowledge, tools, and skills to understand complex issues, work collaboratively across the globe, and develop practical, real-world solutions. With this foundation in place, young people become proactive global citizens with the skills to solve problems.The semiconductor industry doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel or build new networks to drive partnership at the intersection of sustainability and workforce development. Companies in our value chain are already well positioned to scale equitable opportunities, promote STEM and AI skills, and empower students to tackle real-world climate challenges as we help prepare them for future careers. Global networks of sustainable schools focused on climate action are well-established in key semiconductor regions. In Taiwan alone, over 330,000 students will participate this year.Sustainable schools networks engage teachers and students with programs that are fun, motivating, and spark curiosity by providing ownership over solving real-world challenges. These mostly free programs can also help drive gender and racial equity into the tech, science and engineering fields for communities and schools that might otherwise be left behind.Examples of programs with youth-designed climate actions are all around us. Students in one New Taipei City, Taiwan school conducted their own energy audits to reduce energy consumption in their medium-income community. Students in a North Pennsylvania, U.S. school of limited resources created a community garden that sparked interest in biodiversity and STEM.Our industry has a unique opportunity to tap into existing sustainable schools networks and help them grow, while amplifying youth-led climate action. These efforts will empower the next generation to drive meaningful change in their communities and inspire young people of every demographic to see the semiconductor industry as a place where they can build impactful careers.Leading the Way: Why the Semiconductor Industry is PivotalGiven the essential role of semiconductor companies in the global electronics design and manufacturing value chain, industry leaders have a unique opportunity to lead the way in cultivating a climate-literate generation of students for the future workforce. Early education on sustainability and technology integration is crucial, positioning leading companies and their partners to shape the emerging global workforce. The long-term semiconductor workforce development effort must cultivate global citizens who understand how to apply their skills in solving challenges. Opportunities for All Schools: Making Climate Education InclusiveWhile some high-resource schools may be able to integrate advanced environmental science and technology projects, it’s important to ensure that all students have access to meaningful climate learning opportunities. For example, students at schools with fewer resources can engage in projects like programming inexpensive micro:bit sensors to measure local water quality or sample moisture levels in their community gardens. Projects such as these are affordable, scalable, and can be implemented in any school, providing students with hands-on experience in environmental science and technology.More importantly, they build critical thinking and problem-solving skills that empower students to take ownership of climate issues affecting their communities.Additional powerful examples already in existence that provide a basis for scalable teaching, learning and partnership for schools globally include:1. Global Climate Pathways (GCP) is a program where various middle schools around the world work together to solve climate problems. Schools that participate receive learning opportunities and tangible STEM learning tools, including STEM kits. These innovative tools provide learning opportunities in coding and circuits.2. EcoSchools U.S. is a global sustainability education program run by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). This transformative program is student-led, integrating green STEM through project-based learning. It provides opportunities for students to take ownership of their learning by addressing real-world challenges, drives student and teacher engagement, and creates tangible sustainability impacts across school communities. EcoSchools US fosters the development of transferable skills highly valued by employers, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills.3. Global Classroom Project is an initiative by Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, USA, designed to enhance students' global awareness and cultural understanding. It typically involves integrating international perspectives and global issues into the curriculum, promoting cross-cultural exchanges, and connecting students with peers from around the world.New Jersey Institute of Technology President Teik C. Lim hosts an exchange of Taiwan educators during their visit to advance global collaboration for students.A Common Ground for All Stakeholders: Education with a PurposeA challenge in K-12 engagement is the differing perspectives on its purpose among stakeholders. Companies in the semiconductor value chain may view this student outreach as a way to develop technical talent, while green nonprofits often emphasize climate education and sustainability.Bridging these perspectives requires building a platform that any classroom or school can access if they choose. Adopting a public-private partnership approach brings together corporate, government, and nonprofit stakeholders around a shared set of values. This collaborative effort aims to create opportunities and solutions for communities globally.By investing in early education, the semiconductor industry will not only prepare young people to tackle environmental and technical challenges but also ensure they are ready for future job opportunities and educational pathways. These efforts will help attract students to become part of an industry that values their contributions and future, shaping a workforce equipped to lead and innovate in a rapidly evolving world.This is the moment for companies in the semiconductor value chain to lead by example, demonstrating their investment not just in technology but in the sustainability and health of our planet. By supporting K-12 education with a focus on climate literacy, international partnership, sustainability, and STEM, companies in our value chain can build a brighter, more sustainable future for us all—while ensuring that today’s students are prepared to address the challenges of tomorrow. Justin Harris is Senior Advisor for Climate Equity Social Impact at SEMI, Bia Hamed, Ph.D. is Program Manager, Global Education Initiatives at the SEMI Foundation, and Marley Hauser is senior coordinator for the Climate Equity Collaborative. Acknowledgements Partners We thank our first round of partners for the SEMI global K-12 climate engagement program for their contributions of time and thought leadership to this effort: SEMI members, Climate Equity Collaborative, National Wildlife Federation, ARCedTech, Fairfax County Public Schools, Kaohsiung City Education Bureau, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Taiwan Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Jersey for Schools, New Jersey Department of Education, Dr. Prabhakar Shrestha of New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Dr. Tim Hsu of Global Environmental Enhancement (GEE) in Taiwan, New Jersey Audubon, and the students of NJIT and Readington Middle School in Whitehouse, New Jersey. Special thanks to Shari Liss, Vice President for Workforce Development at SEMI Foundation, and Dr. Mousumi Bhat, SEMI Vice President for Sustainability.

As more than 400 speakers took the stages at SEMICON West 2024, sustainability and workforce development stood out as two major focus areas. The second day of this year’s CEO Summit keynote program, themed Seizing the Global Opportunities and Challenges Ahead, featured sessions on both topics. One of the first sessions of the day was the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) panel discussion, titled Bracing for the Evolving Global Risk for the Semiconductor Ecosystem, moderated by Vice President of SEMI Global Sustainability Programs, Dr. Mousumi Bhat. Later that morning, Shari Liss, Vice President of SEMI Global Workforce Development Programs and Executive Director of the SEMI Foundation, moderated a fireside chat, Advocating for Real Change: Why Inclusion and Belonging Need to be Everyone’s Concern, with Sandra Mahadwar from KLA Corporation. Bhat and Liss were later interviewed for a podcast by Francoise von Trapp of 3D InCites to share additional insights on sustainability and workforce development, respectively. Bhat was also joined by Paul Kelly, COO of the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES). Creating a More Sustainable Semiconductor Industry During their interview, both Bhat and Kelly emphasized that the industry will need to reduce its use of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to sustainably innovate at today’s nanometer pace. For this reason, Kelly highlighted the importance of learning to balance current production demands with the health of climate.To achieve this balance, they discussed the efforts of the Semiconductor Climate Consortium (SCC). Much of the SCC’s efforts, they said, will focus on driving the industry toward net zero emissions. SEMI and NY CREATES announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at SEMICON West 2024 to promote sustainable practices within the industry, with a focus on PFAS reduction. Kelly pointed to the ability of SCC members to test new materials, gases, and chemicals at NY CREATES’ R D facilities in upstate New York to work toward replacing PFAS with more sustainable alternatives. Bhat also shared that this collaboration helps facilitate prototyping, experimentation, and tests and measurements for newer, more sustainable substances.Dr. Mousumi Bhat of SEMI and Dave Anderson of NY CREATES celebrate their organizations’ sustainability MOU at SEMICON West 2024.“The thought leadership comes from the Consortium, and the support on infrastructure comes from NY CREATES,” said Bhat. “This should become a blueprint to solve some of the challenging problems that we have in our industry.” When it comes to reducing emissions, Bhat mentioned two key objectives. The first, she said, is access to clean energy, and the second is the reduction of greenhouse gases. Bhat cited these as the issues that will take the longest for the industry to solve and pointed to the importance of industry collaboration and partnerships to support the needed experimentation. But while partnerships will bring the industry closer to net zero, both Bhat and Kelly cautioned that it won’t be reached overnight. “Much more needs to be done in the industry to reach that net zero goal,” said Kelly. “New chip technologies, new chemicals, and new processes are very much large leaps to achieving that. But right now, even some of the most advanced will only reduce [emissions] by 70%.” To help bridge this gap, Bhat encouraged others to join and participate in the SCC. “Rather than everybody doing a one-to-one experimentation in their own space and spending those resources, I would like to invite anyone that's not part of the climate consortium,” she said. “And [I invite] those that are part of the climate consortium to engage more actively, so that we are all accelerating the journey toward net zero.” Addressing the Talent Shortage This year’s SEMICON West also featured five keynote sessions dedicated to workforce development, as well as a Workforce Development Pavilion that included several talks around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). With the estimated one million jobs the industry will need to fill by 2030, Liss shared that every role is needed – from entry level all the way to Ph.D. researchers. “We need to try and bring in as many people as we can over the next few years,” said Liss. “The talent shortage is a global issue, not just a U.S. one.” Shari Liss of SEMI moderated the fireside chat at SEMICON West 2024 with Sandra Mahadwar from KLA Corporation.To begin to close the talent gap, Liss stressed the importance of educating children about the semiconductor industry. “We are just invisible to kids,” she said. “In every part of the globe, they carry chips in their hands all day every day, and they don’t know. So to me, breaking that barrier and making sure kids know about our work as an industry is going to be so critical to making this successful.” Liss also highlighted differences in workforce development programs across the world, noting that what works in one region may not translate to another. For example, apprenticeships are widely embraced in Europe, she said, but they’re a fairly new practice in the U.S. Conversely, she shared that veteran-focused programs wouldn’t work for some regions, but they’re a “powerful win” in the U.S. Each SEMICON show across the world, she shared, includes similar workforce development and DEIB programming, in addition to targeted sessions for students and HR professionals. Companies can interview for open positions at SEMICON shows as well. To learn more about SEMI’s workforce development initiatives and programming, visit semi foundation.org, or check out this overview of DEIB content at SEMICON West 2024. Samer Bahou is director of Marketing Communications at SEMI.

I am passionate about supporting organizations committed to creating safe workplace communities for LGBTQ+ employees. One example is Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM), a nonprofit that is the largest chapter-based organization.

More than 400 students from disciplines including electrical and computer engineering, materials science and physics, and as diverse as business and psychology, attended Semiconductor Day.

What’s a sextillion? It’s the number one followed by 21 zeros — outnumbering the stars in the Milky Way. Industry analyst Jim Handy estimates that 13 sextillion transistors have been manufactured by the chip industry since the first one sprang to life in late 1947. 

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is working to build awareness of semiconductor career paths in the state. The aim: grow Michigan’s semiconductor industry by as many as 30,000 semiconductor jobs by 2030.

As a speaker on the Bridging the Gender Gap Through Allyship panel, I shared my perspectives on how we can increase the ranks of women in the chip industry and heard from fellow advocates.

Tokyo Electron has implemented various programs and initiatives aimed at helping veterans find meaningful employment opportunities and providing them with a supportive and inclusive work environment. TEL is a founding member of the SEMI Foundation’s VetWorks working group.

On September 19th, the SEMI Foundation brought together CHIPS office representatives, workforce development thought leaders, and childcare solution providers to present the webinar Childcare in the CHIPS Act: Resources and Solutions.

The SEMI Foundation redesigned High Tech U to help meet the growing workforce demands of the microelectronics industry. The aim: Reach and inspire thousands of current K-12 students to pursue STEM educations and careers.