On Friday, August 29, Tyndall National Institute hosted Building a Future with Chips: Career Opportunities in the Irish Semiconductor Sector, a one-day event that brought together 80 undergraduate STEM students from across Ireland and representatives from 12 leading organisations in the semiconductor space. 

Jointly organised by the Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC) and MIDAS Ireland, the event aimed to showcase the career paths available in Ireland’s growing semiconductor sector.

With more than 20,000 professionals already employed in semiconductor-related roles, and that number set to grow, the event was an opportunity for students to explore career pathways in this high-growth sector. 

Industry leaders such as AMD, Analog Devices, Cadence Design Systems, Infineon Technologies, Qualcomm, and Qorvo joined forces with Irish innovators and research centres including Equal1, Orbital Innovations, the Integrated Environmental Research Centre (IERC), IPIC, the Microelectronic Circuits Centre Ireland (MCCI), and Tyndall. Together, they engaged students through interactive sessions, expert panels and networking opportunities.   

Patrick Morrissey, head of photonics operations, IPIC & Tyndall.

John Blake, MIDAS general manager, said: "Probably the single most important enabler to the continued success of the semiconductor sector is the people that work across the whole ecosystem. This requires an ever-expanding supply of talent, with skills that continue to expand and deepen.

"In this industry almost every role contributes directly to addressing society’s greatest challenges through the application of the breakthrough solutions that semiconductors enable. It’s great to be able to showcase the exciting career opportunities across the sector to the students who attended this event."   

As Ireland’s semiconductor ecosystem continues to grow, events like Building a Future with Chips play an all-important role in connecting emerging talent with industry leaders, supporting the next generation of researchers, innovators and engineers.