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—Part of an ongoing EE Times series: A Vulnerable U.S. Electronics Supply Chain.

Previous parts:
· Reshoring Chip Industry Risks Failure With Just More Fabs;
· Experts: U.S. Military Chip Supply Is Dangerously Low; 
· U.S. Crawls Toward Rebuilding Frail PCB Industry; 
· USA Rare Earth Aims to Break China’s Grip;
· GF, Lockheed Martin Pair Up to Improve National Security;
· 3 Governments Investing in New Fabs Pledge Cooperation;
· PCB Association Presses Washington for Lifeline;
· Chip Experts See Talent Shortage as Main Growth Hurdle;
· Former U.S. Officials Urge New Export Alliance on China;
· Intel CEO Warns About CHIPS Funds, Export Controls, and
· 9 Governments Set to Fund New, Localized Chip Fabs

Brandon Tucker and Kerry Ebersole Singh have their work cut out for them as they help guide Michigan toward the goal of achieving global semiconductor superiority. Tucker is chief workforce and community development officer at Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in Ann Arbor, and Ebersole Singh is chief talent solutions and engagement officer at Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC).

Global semiconductor superiority is a tall order for any one state, for sure. But because of national leadership demonstrated by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Tucker and Ebersole Singh are in the catbird seat.

As EE Times reported in January, the U.S. military chip supply is dangerously low. Moreover, we reported in March that, within the next five years, the U.S. will need about 50,000 new semiconductor engineers—more than twice the number that U.S. universities are graduating.

Some companies—namely GlobalFoundries and Lockheed Martin—have partnered to address the military-readiness problem. And the U.S. Department of Commerce is building an $11 billion National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) to address the substantial talent gap.

But action is needed at the state level—particularly where the cost of living will attract the right variety of students who will take to working in not only chip R&D but also chip manufacturing. (MEDC notes that Michigan’s cost of living is 10% lower than the national average, making it the fourth most affordable state in the country).

Whitmer and people in her administration have taken up the cause—in a big way.

In December, Whitmer announced the formation of a consortium called Semiconductor Talent Action Team—which MEDC then pulled together. To be sure, Ebersole Singh told EE Times that the group is “grounded in recognizing the talent shortage and the national security implications”—which call for quick action to revive the U.S. chipmaking industry.

The consortium will develop short- and long-term, customized education programs to address the talent shortage through closer cooperation with Michigan employers, public universities and community colleges.

The plan includes $3 million in new workforce investment grant funds and a new Michigander Scholars Semiconductor incentive program that will mirror the state’s EV/mobility student recruitment effort. (The five-month-old Michigander Scholars Program’s EV/Mobility group has identified more than 30 Michigan university students who are eligible for up to $10,000 in scholarships and starting full-time positions and internships in Michigan with partner employers. The group has more than 200 students taking part in networking and programming with industry leaders).

That’s not bad. What’s most impressive, though, is what can only be described as a dream team to push the Great Lakes State toward its goal of global semiconductor superiority.

“Michigan is going all in to make it clear that our talented people make our state the best place to start and grow business in the semiconductor industry,” Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II said at a late May news conference.

In large part because of its position at the center of the U.S. automotive industry, Michigan is, as Gilchrist described it, “a global leader and hub for advanced manufacturing and innovation,” and it has been able to grow its semiconductor industry footprint “aggressively.”

This is no doubt how state leaders were able to join these people together for the cause at hand:

• University of Michigan President Santa Ono;
• Michigan State University Interim President Teresa Woodruff;
• Wayne State University Provost and senior VP for academic affairs Mark Lawrence Kornbluh;
• Michigan Technological University President Richard Koubek;
• Delta College President Michael Gavin;
• Lansing Community College President Steve Robinson;
• Washtenaw Community College President and CEO Rose Bellanca;
• SK Siltron CSS CEO Jianwei Dong, and
• John McLaughlin, global ESG leader and Ann Arbor site lead at KLA.

At the time the consortium was announced, Ebersole Singh said: “Michigan is leading the nation with an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ consortium that has successfully identified key skills and competencies most needed by employers to drive future microchip industry development.”

No kidding.

At the press briefing in late May, members of the Whitmer administration also pointed to a new public-private partnership with chip tool maker KLA, Belgium-based tech-innovation hub imec, the MEDC, the University of Michigan, WCC and General Motors.

The Semiconductor Talent and Automotive Research initiative—which is in collaboration with the state’s Talent Action Team—will work to establish a global semiconductor center of excellence in Michigan.

Pairing the world’s smallest, most nimble education institutions—read WCC—with the world’s largest, most influential research institutes—read imec—is nothing short of brilliant.

Ebersole Singh told EE Times that the talent-gap-crushing initiatives may well go beyond automotive and military applications.

“This is about the semiconductor industry and its talent needs, both from a global framework and focused on our in-state employers, which include Calumet Electronics, KLA, SK Siltron and Hemlock Semiconductor,” she said. “We have several industry partners that have R&D locations here, but they’re also looking at how they build and innovate for the future. And, of course, there are still a few fab opportunities in a manufacturing area that we are in discussion with employers every day in terms of how Michigan is positioned on that front. So, you are looking at a wide array of semiconductor companies that have been placed with us.”

MEDC noted recently that the semiconductor industry each year contributes $4.6 billion in total gross regional product for Michigan.

Electrical engineering center stage

Educating and advancing the careers of electrical engineers will be in focus, WCC’s Tucker told EE Times.

At the same time, he added, “many of these jobs are going to be in the technician, or manufacturing, space. That’s where we, as a community college and the other community colleges across the state come in—because, while there needs to be R&D, electrical engineers won’t be doing the packaging.”

Within the next 10 months, WCC, Delta College and Lansing Community College will initiate semiconductor technician training programs—in concert with local companies, Tucker added.

Competition in Indiana discounted

When it comes to states that can tout a reasonable cost of living and a serious effort to educate future microchip industry workers, one neighboring state is a close competitor.

Purdue University in Indiana is “another higher-ed institution that has a robust set of courses” that will help fill empty chairs at semiconductor companies, Ebersole Singh told EE Times. “But I think when you look at how we’ve leveraged several higher-ed partners and the skill sets that come with those institutions, it really is above and beyond what you see in other places.”

Tucker said the connection Michigan is making between two-year colleges and four-year universities sets Michigan apart. For companies that need both R&D and chip packaging, he said, “we have a lifecycle of education that supports that, bar none.”