Governor Greg Abbott toured the TEL Texas Technical Training and Research & Development Center in Austin on Monday and led a roundtable with students and business leaders on how industry-led training programs are preparing Texans for high-demand semiconductor careers.
The visit underscored a state push to pair chip manufacturing with the technical workforce that keeps it running. Texas is home to more than 51,000 semiconductor industry workers, a figure that has grown 21 percent over the last five years, according to an Aug. 31 news release from the governor’s office.
“Texas ranks number one in the United States for semiconductors, and we rank number one in the U.S. for workforce training,” said Governor Abbott. “We need to be leading the way, not just in manufacturing those semiconductors, but in having the technicians who are going to be able to work on them every step of the way.”
The governor’s office said the Austin center will train an estimated 2,200 people each year and uses virtual and augmented reality to prepare technicians for next-generation tools. During his remarks, Abbott noted TEL’s role in producing qualified technicians and researchers to bolster the workforce and keep Texas competitive. TEL, which is headquartered in Austin, has operated in Texas for more than 30 years.
The center is tied to a state incentive program created three years ago. Abbott signed the Texas CHIPS Act into law in 2023, establishing the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund to position the state in the research, design and manufacturing of microchips. The agency said TEL was extended a grant of more than $3 million from that fund for the Austin center, which the company paired with an investment of more than $30 million.
State officials framed the combined public and private spending as a way to expand the domestic workforce that designs and manufactures chips in America. The governor’s office said additional photos from the visit would be provided when available.