USM, PENANG, 19 November 2025 – The School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), in collaboration with ams OSRAM, SilTerra Malaysia, AT&S and Inari Technology, has successfully launched the Industry in Classroom Programme for Semester 1, Academic Session 2025/2026, marking another significant step in enhancing university–industry engagement within the semiconductor sector.

The programme is expected to widen its industry collaboration in the coming semester, with GlobalFoundries among the companies expressing interest in joining future sessions.

This initiative, introduced in 2022 by Chairman of the Semiconductor Fabrication Association of Malaysia (SFAM), Dr David Lacey, aims to expose students to real-world semiconductor practices through structured lectures conducted by industry partners, thereby strengthening applied learning opportunities for USM students.

Over the years, the programme has grown steadily, involving additional partners such as SilTerra, AT&S and Inari Technology alongside long-time collaborator ams OSRAM, reflecting the continuous expansion of industry participation in supporting academic enrichment.

What began as a small postgraduate initiative has now expanded to include undergraduate students from the Semiconductor Fabrication Processes course and participants from the School of Chemical Sciences, creating broader interdisciplinary exposure and reinforcing the connection between classroom learning and industry applications.

This semester’s session also welcomed a participant from Maybank (Group Corporate Credit, Group Risk), signalling rising interest from non-technical sectors in understanding developments within the semiconductor ecosystem.

Throughout the semester, engineers and experts from partner companies will deliver lectures aligned with the Master of Solid State Physics and Semiconductor Fabrication Processes syllabi, covering topics such as Solid State Physics, Semiconductor Physics, Photonics and Fabrication Processes, Complementary Materials Physics, X-ray Structural Analysis and Thermal Management in Electronics.

In support of Malaysia’s National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), this programme continues to strengthen the nation’s semiconductor talent development efforts, serving as a scalable academic–industry model that can be further expanded within USM and potentially adopted by other universities.

Text and Photos: Dr. Dian Alwani Zainuri, School of Physics