Prairie View A&M Awarded $1.98M for Semiconductor Training Program

Prairie View A&M University will receive a $1.98 million grant from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) to launch a new training program in advanced microelectronics, state officials announced this week.

The funding, part of a statewide effort to bolster Texas’ leadership in the semiconductor sector, will support education in 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI) technologies at the historically Black university.

The program, based at the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, will be developed in partnership with the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute and the Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing initiative. It aims to equip students with skills in 3DHI process development, electronic design automation and digital twin technologies — areas seen as increasingly critical to next-generation chip manufacturing and national competitiveness.

Gov. Greg Abbott, in a statement announcing the award, described the effort as a strategic investment in the state’s workforce and economic future.

“This specialized workforce training program will further Texas’ leadership in cutting-edge microelectronics, enhance national security by strengthening domestic semiconductor manufacturing and expand the path to better jobs and bigger paycheck opportunities for Texans,” Abbott said.

The grant is the latest in a series of workforce and research investments tied to the Texas CHIPS Act, signed into law in 2023. The act created both the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium, managed by the Texas CHIPS Office within the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Office. These programs are designed to grow the state’s semiconductor capabilities through grants to academic institutions and partnerships with private industry.

Earlier this month, the University of Texas at Austin received $4.8 million from the TSIF to create QLab, a quantum-enhanced semiconductor metrology facility aimed at improving chip manufacturing at the atomic scale. That project, managed by the Texas Quantum Institute, builds on UT Austin’s collaboration with the Microelectronics Research Center and Texas Institute for Electronics.

In early December, Temple College was awarded $9.8 million to establish the Central Texas Chips Hub, a regional training center for semiconductor manufacturing in Taylor. The initiative is being launched in collaboration with Texas A&M University — Central Texas and is designed to offer stackable credentials, associate degrees and an applied bachelor’s degree in semiconductor technology.

With Prairie View A&M’s addition to the list of grantees, the TSIF program continues to expand its footprint across the state’s higher education landscape, with an emphasis on workforce readiness, applied research and regional collaboration.

State officials and institutional leaders say these investments are critical to supporting Texas’ growing semiconductor ecosystem, which includes major manufacturing hubs and planned facilities by global companies. The projects are also intended to help meet the rising demand for engineers and technicians trained in advanced manufacturing technologies.

Texas A&M System Chancellor Glenn Hegar called the latest grant an investment in both people and infrastructure.

“Prairie View A&M University is preparing students for the most complex and in-demand jobs in the industry,” he said. “This grant is an investment not only in Texas’ economic future, but also in the men and women whose skills will keep our state at the forefront of innovation.”