The U.S. has struggled with a worker shortage in semiconductor chip making, and even educating people about the field’s existence has proved challenging. In response, Apple and other companies have dedicated considerable money and time to addressing the skills gap and broken pipeline. Apple began the New Silicon Initiative, a series of grants to tech-focused universities nationwide, to develop more skilled workers in designing and manufacturing chips. The initiative funds education and training in microelectronic circuits and hardware design. Eight universities participate, chosen for their engineering savvy and commitment to scaling up courses in creating integrated circuits. One participant is Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. ECE School Chair Arijit Raychowdhury spoke to TechRepublic about how Apple’s support has changed the school’s offerings and students’ potential places in the changing field of computer chip engineering and fabrication. What is NSI at Georgia Tech? In October, Georgia Tech celebrated the beginning of its NSI involvement, representing an expanded collaboration based on a successful chip tape-out course already offered at the university. “We’re thrilled to …