Florida leaders from government, industry, and higher education convened at the inaugural Florida Semiconductor Engine Conference, “Powering Prosperity,” on August 28 in Kissimmee. The event drew more than 250 participants and focused on positioning Florida as a global center for semiconductor innovation.
Ron Piccolo, interim CEO of the Florida Semiconductor Engine, described the conference as part of ongoing efforts to shape the future of semiconductor technology in Florida and beyond. “This conference is more than a singular event,’’ Piccolo said. “It is the continuation of strategic, bold, and coordinated efforts that will shape the future of semiconductor technology in Florida, the U.S., and around the world.”
The National Science Foundation-backed consortium leading these efforts is based at Osceola County’s NeoCity technology district. It may receive up to $160 million over ten years to advance semiconductor packaging in Florida. Osceola County previously received $50.8 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration through the Build Back Better Regional Challenge in 2022 and could get up to $289 million from the Department of Defense for microchip production and workforce development.
Throughout the conference, panel discussions addressed workforce needs and educational pipelines while bringing together leaders from industry, academia, and economic development organizations to support growth in advanced semiconductor packaging technologies.
Florida currently ranks third nationally for semiconductor establishments and fifth for manufacturing employment in this sector with over 18,000 jobs. As national initiatives encourage reshoring semiconductor manufacturing amid rising demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI), space exploration, and other tech industries, billions of dollars are expected to be invested nationwide along with an estimated half-million new jobs.
“We are in the perfect position, I’d argue, and the best position of any state in the nation to be able to go out and attract those jobs,” said Jason Mahon, Deputy Secretary for Economic Development at Florida Commerce. He noted that $380 million has been invested by Florida into workforce education for semiconductors over four years.
Paul Sohl, CEO of Florida High Tech Corridor, led a panel on preparing Florida’s semiconductor workforce with academic leaders including University of Central Florida President Alexander N. Cartwright; Valencia College President Kathleen Plinske; University of South Florida Vice President Sylvia Wilson Thomas; and David Arnold from University of Florida’s Semiconductor Institute—all members of an NSF-supported coalition.
Panelists emphasized building a talent pipeline not only for researchers but also technical staff essential for production roles. Valencia College recently launched an associate degree program in Semiconductor Engineering Technology—the first such program in Florida—developed with input from employers like SkyWater Technology at NeoCity. “Give us 15 weeks — and we can help you earn an industry certification that will land you a full-time job with benefits,” Plinske said.
Cartwright highlighted UCF’s expansion efforts: “UCF was founded as a startup with a mission to provide workforce, and that’s the mindset we need to expand across Florida,” he said.
Sylvia Wilson Thomas pointed out that semiconductors underpin many key technological advances: “When we talk about AI, what is the underlying technology behind it? It’s semiconductors,” she said. “Helping society understand that research in this field directly impacts health, transportation, and communication is critical and commercialization is how we turn that into real impact.”
David Arnold discussed collaboration among universities through initiatives like Lab Link at the Florida Semiconductor Institute: “We challenge these teams of students to come up with an idea that came out of (their) conversations,” he said. “Our goal is to try to fund these as collaborative inter-institutional research partnerships.”
Ron Piccolo stated: “We have a mission to transform the U.S. semiconductor industry through collaborative research, to build the most advanced technical workforce in the nation and to create regional economic prosperity that has national and global impact. Now these are not small ambitions…If this were to happen…it will only happen by visionary leadership.”
Don Fisher, Osceola County Manager who has overseen NeoCity since its inception in 2014 remarked on recent progress: “In the past 36 months we have received over $500 million in investment…from State or federal partners.” He added that being one of three clusters nationwide awarded both Build Back Better funds and NSF recognition affirms their long-term strategy.
Jason Mahon reiterated state priorities: “About four years ago…we recognized making investments in growing the semiconductor industry…would be really important from both a national security perspective…and opportunity for our state…if you don’t have people who are going work in them [facilities], we’re not actually going anywhere.”
More information about ongoing initiatives can be found at https://floridasemiconductor.com/engine/ (Florida Semiconductor Engine) or https://cenfluence.com/sectors/semiconductors-electronics/ (Cenfluence’s semiconductor cluster).
