The Freedom 250: Semiconductor Workforce First Summit took place on August 31, 2026, in Taipei ahead of SEMICON Taiwan 2026. Around 150 leaders from industry, government, and academia from both Taiwan and the US attended the event [1, 2, 3].
During the summit, Taiwan and the US signed memoranda of understanding to enhance semiconductor talent development and better align workforce training with industry needs [1, 4, 5, 2, 6, 3]. The Taiwan-US Semiconductor Education Alliance was also established, involving Taiwan's Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (FICHET) and US partners such as the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the SEMI Foundation [1, 4, 6, 3].
AIT Director Raymond Greene highlighted the strength of Taiwan-US relations, stating, “Taiwan-US relations have never been stronger, with deepening cooperation in high technology and advanced manufacturing.” He added that "technology and investment alone cannot build the future; talent is indispensable. Taiwan and the US must collaborate to expand talent cultivation and education to meet industry demands." [1]
Taiwan’s Minister of Education 鄭英耀 spoke about the shared values underpinning the partnership. He said, “Technology shapes what we can do, but talent determines how much we can achieve. Taiwan and the US share core values of freedom, openness, innovation, and faith in education, combining their strengths to reserve talent for tomorrow’s industries and invest in society’s future.” He emphasized the benefits for students, noting, “American students coming to Taiwan can learn directly from semiconductor educators, researchers, engineers, and industry experts, while Taiwanese students gain opportunities to broaden their international perspectives.” [1, 2]
Key initiatives announced include a $20 million donation to Arizona State University to support students studying abroad with Taiwan as a destination, and a Fulbright Semiconductor Scholarship that will send two additional US graduate students to National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in 2027 [1, 5, 7, 2, 3]. Around the time of the summit, visiting delegations from American universities toured Taiwan’s universities and semiconductor research centers to strengthen academic and industry ties [6].
These announcements build on momentum from earlier in May 2026, when FICHET and AASCU signed an intention letter at the Americas Educators Conference in Orlando to establish the Taiwan-US Semiconductor Education Alliance [1, 2, 3, 6]. The Fulbright scholarship program plans to send two US graduate students to Taiwan in 2027 as part of the new talent exchange [5, 7, 2, 3].
