MediaTek Taiwan Teams Up With Indiana's Purdue University To Build A Chip Design Center

JAKARTA - Taiwan's MediaTek Inc., the world's fourth-largest chip designer by revenue, plans to set up a new design center in Indiana in partnership with Purdue University. The new deal was announced by the Taiwanese company, Tuesday, June 28.

MediaTek, which makes processors for many Android phones and smart speakers, declined to say how much it will invest in its first Midwestern design center. But they said they would receive $1.4 million from the state for the design center.

"Being in Indiana means we'll have access to some of the best engineering talent in the world," said Dr. Kou-Hung Lawrence Loh, senior corporate vice president of MediaTek Inc and president of MediaTek USA Inc, said in a company statement.

The company will seek to recruit engineers from top schools in Indiana and other nearby states, who will typically be recruited to its design center in California.

MediaTek also said it plans to award a professorship at Purdue to compete for federal research grants, a funding source that could see a big boost if a bill to support the chip industry gets approval from the US Congress.

The announcement will come after Taiwan's GlobalWafers said on Monday, June 27 it would build a $5 billion silicon wafer plant in Sherman, Texas. The reason is, a global shortage of semiconductor chips continues to damage supply chains, forcing some automotive and electronics companies to cut production.