The inaugural SEMIEXPO Heartland event welcomed leaders in smart mobility and smart manufacturing to the Indiana Convention Center to explore opportunities for collaboration across both disciplines. With 70 booths comprised of 50 exhibiting companies and more than 1,100 registered attendees between April 1-2, the event served as a testament to the growth of the Midwestern U.S. as a key region in the global semiconductor ecosystem.
SEMIEXPO Heartland kicked off with a fireside chat with Indiana Governor The Honorable Mike Braun and SEMI President and CEO Ajit Manocha, followed by keynote presentations from Purdue University President Mung Chiang and Dr. Woong-Sun Lee, Senior Vice President of SK hynix. Indiana University President Pamela Whitten introduced a panel discussion featuring Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Adams, Quentin Messer, CEO and Chief Economic Competitiveness Officer of Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and J.P. Nauseef, President and CEO of JobsOhio, and moderated by SEMI Americas President Joe Stockunas. Day 2 of the event featured industry keynotes from Thorsten Scheer, Regional President Mobility Electronics, Robert Bosch Semiconductor, and Surya Iyer, President and COO, Polar Semiconductor.
The keynote stage talks highlighted the expansion of the semiconductor industry and abundant opportunities in the Midwest, as well as the region’s advantages from its strong manufacturing expertise and established infrastructure. Sessions emphasized that collaboration among industry, government and academia is essential for fostering innovation and bridging the workforce development gap, with an estimated 350,000 jobs needed in the U.S. by 2030. Leaders in the region have demonstrated a strong commitment to attracting and developing talent through workforce programs spanning K-12 education, higher education, and initiatives for upskilling and reskilling the workforce.
“The Midwest’s innovations in smart manufacturing and smart mobility are essential for driving the semiconductor industry towards achieving $1 trillion by 2030,” said Stockunas. “SEMIEXPO Heartland was the first event of its kind in the region, which speaks to the growing need for cross-sector collaboration among Midwestern industry leaders. I would like to thank our partners, sponsors, speakers, exhibitors, and attendees who helped make the first SEMIEXPO Heartland event a success.”
As a leader in semiconductor research and industry partnership, Purdue University partnered with SEMI and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to bring SEMIEXPO Heartland to Indianapolis. Representatives from the university also presented on Purdue’s workforce development initiatives, highlighting efforts like its Summer Training, Awareness, and Readiness for Semiconductors (STARS) program focused on helping students develop relevant technical skills. Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Management (SCALE) is another Purdue-led national consortium preparing graduate and undergraduate students for the rapidly advancing microelectronics field and providing opportunities for engaging learning experiences centered around microelectronics for K-12 schools and teachers.
On behalf of Purdue, President Chiang thanked Dr. Lee of SK hynix and Indiana Secretary of Commerce Adams for the transformational establishment of SK hynix’s AI memory chip facility at Purdue Research Park. “Our mutual commitment and trusted partnership, announced last year and now proceeding rapidly as planned, will soon create jobs, workforce and innovation with a growing ecosystem including many partners in the audience,” said Chiang.
Chiang then delivered remarks titled, “Blazing New Trails to the Endless Frontiers: Transformation of America’s University Research,” which articulated a new architecture and culture of private capital for university research. “Paraphrasing Vannevar Bush in 1945: the frontiers are still endless, we might just have to blaze some new trails to continue the worthy pursuit,” Chiang said in conclusion.
In addition, Purdue collaborated with imec on a workshop that detailed the industry’s demands and challenges, including scalability, chip performance, energy efficiency, and sustainability.
The second annual SEMIEXPO Heartland will take place in Detroit, Michigan in April 2026. More information will be announced later this year.
SEMIEXPO Heartland 2025 was developed in partnership with IEDC, the Applied Research Institute, Purdue University, and Visit Indy, and was hosted by SEMIEXPO Heartland’s Honorary Chairman, Terry Brewer, Founder and Chairman of Brewer Science.
