Chennai: IIT Madras has entered into a partnership with Purdue University, U.S, to jointly develop a dual-degree program in semiconductors. The two institutions will also be undertaking international cooperation in education and research in the areas of semiconductors and microelectronics.
A Letter of Intent towards this collaboration was signed on November 3 2022 at the IIT Madras campus by senior officials and faculty members of IIT Madras and Purdue University. “The semiconductor mission of India looks at the large-scale development and deployment of microelectronics products. This joint initiative with Purdue will certainly augment our quality human resource development efforts in semiconductor electronics,” said Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras.
Lauding the initiative Mung Chiang, President-Elect and Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives of Purdue University said “Purdue University is home to over 2,700 students from India and Purdue has a long and deep strategic partnership with India and IIT Madras, in particular. We recently launched the first comprehensive Semiconductor Degrees Program (SDP) with the goal of becoming the top source of skilled semiconductor talent for the US. We are thrilled to be partnering with IIT Madras on these dual-degree programs to rapidly contribute to the workforce needs of the large semiconductor industry in both the US and India.”
The proposed dual-degree program in semiconductors would focus on an innovative, cooperatively-developed curriculum that will meet the growing needs of the industry, stated a release by IIT Madras adding that undergraduate students with strong academic credentials with a deep interest in working on topics related to semiconductor devices, chip fabrication, and circuit and system will be candidates for the proposed master’s program. "This will enable a quick ramp-up of skilled talent, preparing the next generation of the semiconductor workforce," it added.
Highlighting the important areas of the dual-degree course on semiconductors, Prof. Nagendra Krishnapura, Head, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras has world-class faculty in the area of semiconductors, from electronic devices to circuits and systems. This new dual-degree program in semiconductors will give students a solid foundation in these areas, while also giving them the freedom and flexibility to specialize in their chosen area of interest. We also expect the program to open new avenues for collaboration in research and teaching with Purdue University in these areas.”
