Big Country plays role in Gov. Abbott’s push for Texas technology manufacturing boom

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott appointed a member with local ties to the Big Country to serve on a new advisory board to develop and execute a comprehensive statewide strategic plan geared towards making the state a frontrunner in the production and development of semiconductors.

The Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium Executive Committee (TSIC EC) was established under the Texas CHIPS act (HB 5174), as reported by Gov. Abbott. A key component of that consortium is a coalition of Texas institutions of higher education, each of which has a designated representative to serve on the board. Texas State Technical College Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Hoekstra is one such designee.

“Being a part of something historical like that, I’m really excited about,” Hoekstra told KTAB/KRBC.

A microchip shortage of 2020 demonstrated to many just how important semiconductors have become to everyday modern life.

2021 REPORT → EXPLAINER: Starving for more chips in a tech-hungry world

As Director of Technology RJ Benavides with Abilene based IT company Datroo Technologies explained it, “Almost every electronic device that you see today has some form of semiconductor in it… When the United States had a supply shortage of these electronic chips, and recognizing how vital they are to everyday life, more and more businesses and government entities have stepped in to say ‘we need to bring this manufacturing back to the United States or to the United States, period.”

Partially in response to that realization, the TSIC will work to ensure their institutions are providing the necessary education to fill the high tech positions that will be attracted to the state through the CHIPS act.

“We do a lot of work aligning the needs of the industry to our instructional programming. That’s very similar to the objectives of the [TSIC EC]. They’re bringing together both members of industry and higher education, trying to identify what those workforce training needs are, and scaling that in a big way to respond to this need,” detailed Hoekstra.

Although this is only one part of the TSIC’s contributions to the overall goal, the executive board will be required to present the Governor and Legislative Budget Board with a written report every two years. This reporting will ensure the state is up-to-date on current needs and abilities of the educational and professional organizations the state has to offer. They are also said to be developing a comprehensive plan to guide state action moving forward.

“With the leadership of Dr. David Daniel (President Emeritus of UT Dallas) and the hard work of the consortium, Texas will lead the way in research, design, and manufacturing of microchips for generations to come,” Gov. Abbott announced Tuesday.

This push for new business in the state hopes to attract new job opportunities and, in turn, create a more self-sufficient Texas. It will also open new opportunities of economic diversification to cities like Abilene, which the Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) President and CEO Misty Mayo said results in a net positive for local economies.

“It’s those suppliers as well as the companies in the semiconductor industry that are potentials for attracting their business to Texas and more importantly, most importantly, attracting their business to Abilene,” added Mayo.

The consortium has only just begun to collaborate on developing the state’s comprehensive plan. Hoekstra said he was excited to be part of this “historic” moment for Texas. Development such as the Samsung plant in Austin, he said, is a hopeful sign of prosperity yet to come.

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