New Approaches to Semiconductors
Our UC San Diego semiconductor research and development ecosystem is designed for industry, government and academic collaborations.
One of the strengths of this ecosystem comes from our participation in California DREAMS (Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices Superhub). California DREAMS is an easy-access platform for the design and manufacture of prototypes of advanced electronic modules such as heterogeneous semiconductors. This platform is a national resource for the U.S. microelectronics industry, and UC San Diego is a key player in this semiconductor ecosystem.
UC San Diego is Strengthening U.S. Semiconductor Innovation and Workforce Development
December 22, 2025
Andrew Kahng is part of several major national initiatives that together are transforming how future engineers learn to design and build computer chips. His work is helping UC San Diego become a driving force in the nation’s growing semiconductor innovation ecosystem. Full Story
UC San Diego Awarded Nearly $1M NSF Grant to Launch Semiconductor Workforce Training Program
September 25, 2025
UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute engineers have launched a semiconductor workforce pilot project focused on community college students. Full Story
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UC San Diego Awarded NSF Grant to Launch Semiconductor Workforce Development Pilot
September 9, 2025
Engineers at UC San Diego have been awarded a $300,000 grant from the NSF to launch a pilot initiative aimed at addressing the shortage of skilled US workers going into the growing domestic semiconductor industry. Full Story
UC San Diego is Bolstering National Leadership in Microelectronics
August 12, 2025
UC San Diego is bolstering national leadership in microelectronics. The campus' Jacobs School of Engineering and Qualcomm Institute are bridging the gap between lab research and commercial manufacturing. Full Story
Microelectronics Go from Lab to Fab at UC San Diego
March 17, 2025
Little more than a year after the Microelectronics Commons program kicked off, University of California San Diego researchers have already made significant strides in bringing novel semiconductor technologies from possibility to prototype and beyond. Full Story
Yu-Hwa Lo is an Enabler of Discovery in Semiconductors and Beyond
September 25, 2024
If not for electrical engineering Professor Yuhwa Lo, traffic lights and automobile rear lights would not have transitioned from incandescents to LEDs until a decade later, NASA’s deep space communication efforts might take a different tack, Illumina’s gene-sequencing technology might not have gotten off the ground and flow cytometers and cell sorters, the workhorse for the biotechnology industry, wouldn’t have made it out onto lab benches. Full Story
NANO3 Fabrication Facilities at UC San Diego
August 1, 2024
UC San Diego’s Nano3 facility provides researchers from across the campus and across the country – including semiconductor pioneers – with world-class expertise, instrumentation, and services for multidisciplinary nanoscience, engineering, and medicine research. Full Story
UC San Diego Joins USC-led Coalition to Boost Microelectronics Production for 5G/6G
November 2, 2023
The U.S. Department of Defense has announced that it has awarded approximately $27 million for a USC-led Microelectronics Commons project. The University of California San Diego is a key member of this coalition of research and industry organizations with the power to accelerate the development and manufacturing of microelectronics in the United States. Full Story