- STEM education is essential to developing the semiconductor workforce
- Lam supports students from early learning through college and career preparation
National STEM Day celebrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. For the semiconductor industry, it also highlights something bigger: developing tomorrow’s technical workforce starts long before someone applies for a job.
A 2026 National Landscape Analysis projects cumulative U.S. demand for approximately 189,000 additional semiconductor workers from 2026 through 2030, driven by factors including manufacturing expansion, retirements, and workforce attrition.
Building Skills From Classroom to Career
The Lam Research Foundation has invested more than $25 million in Transformative Learning around the world since 2019, supporting applied STEM education, semiconductor workforce programs, and educator development. That work includes engineering, computing, robotics, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and technical problem solving.
Lam has also worked with organizations like Project Lead the Way, where our grants support expanded access to high-quality STEM education for preK–12 students. Two grants focus on under-resourced schools across the United States.
In Fremont, California, Lam Foundation grantmaking has supported Silicon Valley Education Foundation with grant making focused math and science learning through Elevate [Math] and at-home and hybrid learning programs. Funding includes hands-on STEM learning opportunities with a particular emphasis on strengthening math skills. The latest recorded grant supports the STEM Acceleration Initiative, broadening the focus to equitable access to high-quality math, computer science, and AI learning for historically underserved students.
In Malaysia, our grants support hands-on STEM learning, including Girls and STEM, Penang International Science Fair school workshops, and advanced MakerLab projects. Funding also supports technical and soft-skill development through industry mentorship, project-based learning, and competitions. The latest recorded grant supports AI-on-Wheels, GET Talent, and Advanced MakerLab 2026, extending the portfolio into AI and advanced technical learning.
And in Taiwan, in partnership with the National Science and Technology Museum, our grants support STEM education for students in rural, remote, and disadvantaged communities. Named activities include Hour of Code, Robotic Experience & Museum Exploration, robotics workshops, and smart technology workshops. Several grants specifically emphasize programming literacy for grades 7–12, including museum visits that expose students to application programming.
Creating More Paths Into STEM
The pipeline begins even earlier. Foundation programs support computer programming literacy in rural Taiwan, AI education for students and teachers in Japan, and STEM curriculum in underserved U.S. schools through Project Lead the Way.
National STEM Day is a reminder that there is no single route into technology. Early curiosity, strong educators, college programs, practical training, and exposure to real-world engineering can all help people see a future for themselves in STEM.
For Lam, supporting those pathways helps build the skills that future semiconductor innovation will require.