The competition for human resources in the semiconductor field

The world's biggest chipmakers are scrambling to recruit every single employee for their multibillion-dollar semiconductor factory.

GlobalFoundries factory workers operate the chip production line at the facility in Malta. Photo: WSJ

The dwindling supply of qualified workers is a matter of concern for many years. However, according to some industry leaders, the worry is now multiplied by the soaring demand for chips in many fields, as well as the race among governments to increase autonomy in semiconductor capacity.

Chipmakers have an advantage because most processes are automated, but running high-tech equipment requires highly skilled staff.

"We are definitely in a war for talent," said Jim Koonmen, vice president of ASML Holding of the Netherlands.

Talents here are system operation engineers, a team of technicians who supervise and manage the production process, and scientists who are tasked with researching new chips and how to make them.

"For the semiconductor industry as a whole, skills need to be developed from everywhere, from the plant builder to the most qualified researcher," said Ann Kelleher, Intel Vice President, said last year.

Intel has committed to invest more than $100 billion in chip plants over the coming years in the US and Europe. Similarly, companies like Taiwan's TSMC or South Korea's Samsung are also planning to expand their scale.

In the US alone, according to statistics from human resource management company Eightfold.ai, the semiconductor industry in this country needs 70,000-90,000 workers or more in the period 2020-2025, bringing the total number of employees in the semiconductor segment up. 300,000. This is considered an ambition to help the US reduce dependence on foreign supplies.

In Taiwan, the time for each new hire for the semiconductor business is at a six-year high, according to 104 Job Bank. The August 2021 report showed that the average monthly shortfall for semiconductor workers was about 27,700 people, up 44% from the previous year. Average wages in the chip industry also rose to their highest level in more than a decade.

"The problem of talent shortage is becoming more and more serious, mainly due to increased chip market demand," said Yao-Wen Chang, dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Taiwan University. . "I'm not optimistic that we'll be able to solve this problem completely in the future."

At ASML, Mr. Koonmen said the company's staffing needs are expected to grow 10% or more per year to keep up with the boom in the global semiconductor manufacturing sector. To attract human resources, the company is promoting through many channels, such as strengthening relationships with universities, as well as having an attractive salary and bonus policy for recruitment.

David Reeder, CFO of GlobalFoundries, also said that the semiconductor workforce market is at its most competitive and will continue to be for at least the next few years.

Some lecturers at engineering schools in the US admit that today's students are more interested in software or the Internet than in semiconductors. According to Rochester Institute of Technology professor Santosh Kurinec, the number of students enrolling in the university's engineering program has steadily declined, from 50 in the mid-1980s to about 10 today. "The majority would rather create apps for Google and Facebook," he said.

In Taiwan, the lack of skilled engineers could derail efforts to stay ahead of cutting-edge technology, as semiconductor research becomes increasingly complex. "We need more PhDs to join research into the next advancements for the semiconductor industry," said Terry Tsao, Global Marketing Manager for Semiconductor Industry Association SEMI.

In the semiconductor craze, governments can play an important role. Last year, a number of US chip companies lobbied lawmakers to allow them to hire workers from abroad amid a decline in US students in this field. In May 2021, Taiwan passed a law to promote innovation and education in the high-tech field, giving priority to approval for universities and colleges with semiconductor majors to cooperate with companies like TSMC.

China also established research schools and specialized training centers on semiconductors. This is seen as part of an effort to promote the country's autonomy in advanced technology, including chips and AI. There have been 12 universities in China that have established chip-focused colleges since the end of 2020, including the most prestigious institutions such as Peking University and Tsinghua University.

Ivan Platonov, CEO of EqualOcean technology in Beijing, estimates that China's semiconductor workforce has nearly doubled in five years. However, the country is still short of about 250,000 engineers in 2020.

Via WSJ

Bài đăng phổ biến từ blog này

Học ngoại ngữ: Tại sao chúng ta cần học từ gốc rễ?

Học ngoại ngữ là một hành trình đầy thách thức nhưng cũng vô cùng thú vị. Tuy nhiên, một câu hỏi lớn mà nhiều người học ngoại ngữ đặt ra là: Tại sao việc học một ngôn ngữ mới lại khó khăn đến vậy, và tại sao nhiều người dù dành nhiều năm học tập vẫn không thể sử dụng ngôn ngữ một cách tự nhiên? Câu trả lời không hoàn toàn đơn giản, nhưng có một nguyên nhân cốt lõi: chúng ta đang học ngoại ngữ một cách ngược chiều. Thay vì bắt đầu từ nền tảng cơ bản nhất của ngôn ngữ nói – âm thanh và cơ chế phát âm – các phương pháp giảng dạy truyền thống thường tập trung vào kiến thức lý thuyết, ngữ pháp và từ vựng, dẫn đến việc bỏ qua những kỹ năng cốt lõi như phát âm, nghe và nói . Bài viết này sẽ phân tích lý do tại sao cách tiếp cận “từ gốc rễ” với trọng tâm là âm thanh và kỹ năng thực hành có thể giúp người học ngoại ngữ đạt được hiệu quả cao hơn, đồng thời chỉ ra những hạn chế của phương pháp học truyền thống. Âm thanh: Nền tảng của ngôn ngữ nói Ngôn ngữ nói, về bản chất, là âm than...

5 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Still Cheap Today If You Can Find Them

A classic muscle car is the dream of young car enthusiasts to this day. For anyone in the market to purchase a new, vintage muscle car, options might seem somewhat limited. The divide between high-end options and the realities of the typical car-buying budget quickly comes into focus. This can be immensely frustrating for someone scoping out the market for an old classic that hasn't been in production for decades. While there's a huge resale space for a contemporary Honda Civics, and buyers are therefore able to be a little picky with their choice, finding a vintage muscle car that matches your specifics is a little tricky. Fortunately, the range of excellent models that remain out there for a discerning buyer is fairly wide open. Cheap options abound in the marketplace for those that are willing to be patient and put in the work to research and identify great examples. These are some classics that any buyer should keep their eye out for when looking to buy a fantastic vintage ...

Is Buying Nvidia Stock a Sneaky Crypto Play?

The newest trillion-dollar tech stock offers indirect exposure to the crypto market. Investors are buzzing about Nvidia (NVDA -1.11%) after it reached a $1 trillion market capitalization at the end of May. Now trading at just under $400, Nvidia joins a rarefied elite of just four other U.S.-based companies -- Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon -- with trillion-dollar market valuations. Although Nvidia is obviously a strong play on the future growth of the tech industry, could it also be a sneaky crypto play? That might not be as insane as it sounds. Nvidia already provides the specialized graphics processing units (GPUs) required for cryptocurrency mining rigs. And Nvidia's recent announcement of a new AI supercomputing platform has already led to a flurry of AI-themed cryptos surging higher over the past week. Here's a closer look at why Nvidia might be a way to get exposure to the crypto industry, without taking on excessive risk. The old crypto investment thesis for Nvid...

Chevrolet Bel Air 1950s

The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size car produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1975 model years. Initially, only the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952. With the 1953 model year, the Bel Air name was changed from a designation for a unique body shape to a premium level of trim applied across a number of body styles. The Bel Air continued with various other trim level designations, and it went from a mid-level trim car to a budget fleet sedan when U.S. production ceased in 1975. Production continued in Canada, for its home market only, through the 1981 model year. From 1950 to 1952, the Bel Air Sport Coupe name was used only for the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range, to distinguish the car from the Styleline and Fleetline models. It is named after the wealthy Bel Air neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles. 1950 Chevrolet Bel-Air First-year production reached only 76,662 models built. The car cost $1,741 a...

100 cụm động từ tiếng Anh phổ biến nhất kèm ví dụ minh họa

Trong quá trình học tiếng Anh, cụm động từ (phrasal verbs) là một trong những yếu tố ngữ pháp khiến nhiều người học cảm thấy khó khăn. Tuy nhiên, việc sử dụng thành thạo các cụm động từ không chỉ giúp bạn giao tiếp tự nhiên hơn mà còn thể hiện sự hiểu biết sâu sắc về ngôn ngữ này. Bài viết này sẽ giới thiệu 100 cụm động từ thông dụng trong tiếng Anh, giúp bạn nắm bắt được cách sử dụng chúng trong các tình huống giao tiếp hàng ngày. Hãy cùng khám phá và mở rộng vốn từ vựng của mình qua những cụm động từ này nhé! Add up - Cộng lại, tính tổng Ví dụ: The numbers don’t add up; there must be a mistake somewhere. Ask out - Mời ai đó đi chơi Ví dụ: He finally asked her out to dinner after months of hesitation. Back up - Hỗ trợ, sao lưu Ví dụ: Can you back me up during the meeting if I forget something? Blow up - Nổ tung, phóng đại Ví dụ: The balloon blew up when he filled it with too much air. Break down - Hỏng hóc, suy sụp Ví dụ: Our car broke down on the way to the airport...

Những lỗi phổ biến khi nói tiếng Anh

Khi học và sử dụng tiếng Anh như một ngôn ngữ thứ hai, đặc biệt trong giao tiếp nói, người học thường mắc phải một số lỗi phổ biến. Những lỗi này không chỉ xuất phát từ sự khác biệt giữa tiếng Anh và ngôn ngữ mẹ đẻ, mà còn từ thói quen học tập, thiếu thực hành, hoặc hiểu biết chưa đầy đủ về cách sử dụng ngôn ngữ. Dưới đây là phân tích chi tiết từng loại lỗi, kèm theo cách khắc phục. 1. Lỗi phát âm (Pronunciation Mistakes) Phát âm là một trong những rào cản lớn nhất khi nói tiếng Anh, bởi hệ thống âm thanh của ngôn ngữ này thường khác biệt so với nhiều ngôn ngữ khác, bao gồm tiếng Việt. Nhầm lẫn giữa các âm tiết : Ví dụ: Người Việt thường nhầm giữa âm /ɪ/ ("ship") và /iː/ ("sheep"), hoặc /æ/ ("bat") và /ɛ/ ("bet"). Nguyên nhân là tiếng Việt không phân biệt rõ ràng giữa các nguyên âm ngắn và dài. Hậu quả: Người nghe có thể hiểu sai ý nghĩa (VD: "I saw a ship" – Tôi thấy một con tàu, thành "I saw a sheep" – Tôi thấy một con c...

What is Cloud computing security?

Cloud computing security is the set of control-based technologies and policies designed to adhere to regulatory compliance rules and protect information, data applications and infrastructure associated with cloud computing use. Cloud computing security or, more simply, cloud security is an evolving sub-domain of computer security, network security, and, more broadly, information security. It refers to a broad set of policies, technologies, and controls deployed to protect data, applications, and the associated infrastructure of cloud computing. SECURITY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CLOUD Cloud computing and storage solutions provide users and enterprises with various capabilities to store and process their data in third-party data centers. Organizations use the Cloud in a variety of different service models (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS) and deployment models (Private, Public, Hybrid, and Community). There are a number of security concerns associated with cloud computing. These issues fall into ...

WikiHowBlog

Tìm kiếm Blog này