NSF Integrated Circuits Research, Education, and Workforce Development Workshop

US academic integrated circuit (IC) design education and research are facing challenges in many dimensions including access to process models and fabrication, cost of fabrication, the complexity of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) flows, declining enrollments, and the loss of instructional project support from MOSIS. At the same time, foreign competitors, especially China, are investing heavily in IC fabrication, design, and education, leading to increased competition and national security risks.

This proposal is for a workshop that aims to gather needs from academics, and insights from industry hiring managers as well as IC fabrication and EDA tool companies to develop a vision for the future. The proposed workshop will consist of an initial virtual workshop for information gathering followed by an in-person workshop to create a detailed plan.

The outcome of this workshop will hope to provide future guidance on the shortage of IC design engineers in the US and training a future workforce. In particular, the workshop will examine industry and academic needs to find the appropriate pathway for the revitalization of IC research and education in the US.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.