By UOW Malaysia 

What does it take to prepare the next generation of semiconductor talent? For seven UOW Malaysia engineering students, the answer began in Malaysia and continued in Singapore—where they stepped beyond the classroom to experience the fast-moving world of semiconductor manufacturing first-hand.

Following their participation in the SEMI TECH Zoomers Bootcamp 1.0 in Malaysia in May 2026, seven of the ten UOW Malaysia engineering students were selected to continue their journey at SEMI TECH Zoomers Bootcamp 2.0 in Singapore from 22 to 25 September 2026.

Bringing together 40 students from Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, the advanced program offered an immersive introduction to front-end semiconductor technologies and fabrication operations. From learning cleanroom protocols and process fundamentals to visiting leading industry facilities, the students gained a closer understanding of how the technologies behind today’s semiconductor industry come together.

Stepping Inside the Semiconductor Industry

At the Singapore University of Technology and Design, the students took part in a Cleanroom and Metrology Workshop, gaining first-hand experience of front-end semiconductor manufacturing and the precision required in cleanroom environments.

The learning continued beyond the workshop through visits to    Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company Pte Ltd and Siltronic Singapore, where the students stepped inside real semiconductor manufacturing environments, explored factory operations and engaged with industry professionals. These experiences brought classroom concepts to life, while giving the students valuable insights into the technologies, skills and career opportunities shaping the semiconductor ecosystem.

The journey culminated in A*STAR Innovate Together, where students explored emerging developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced packaging, gaining a broader perspective on the technologies that will influence the future of semiconductor innovation.

Turning Ideas into Innovation

The experience was not only about learning—it was also about creating.

As part of the TECH Zoomers Sustainable AI Innovation Challenge, students from across the region worked in teams to develop ideas at the intersection of semiconductor technology, AI and sustainability.

Among the participants was Daniel Loh Jia Ze from the Penang campus, who was part of the team that won the Grand Prize.

Their winning project explored how AI models could be made more efficient by combining chiplet-based hardware, local Static Random-Access Memory and the more efficient DeltaNet AI model. The team proposed a compute-near-memory 3D chiplet architecture, combining stacked memory for static model weights with reusable compute chiplets.

The concept aims to reduce unnecessary data movement while maintaining the flexibility to support different AI model architectures without having to redesign the entire chip.

From cleanrooms and semiconductor factories to innovation challenges and international collaboration, the SEMI TECH Zoomers experience gave UOW Malaysia students more than technical knowledge. It gave them the opportunity to connect, experiment and see where their engineering skills could take them in one of the world’s most dynamic industries.