Agreement bolsters path to US-Mexico global competitiveness
Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard (left) and ASU President Michael Crow display their signed memorandum of understanding during a ceremony held in the Fulton Center on ASU's Tempe campus on Aug. 26. The MOU serves as a catalyst to continue efforts to advance the semiconductor industry in North America. The ceremony followed a luncheon with semiconductor business leaders and public officials from both countries. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard and Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday in Tempe to formalize binational cooperation for advancing North America’s semiconductor sector.
In a ceremony attended by business leaders, university faculty and officials from both sides of the border, the two leaders agreed to establish a framework for long-term collaboration where Mexico and ASU will leverage their resources to help boost the semiconductor ecosystem in the region.
“At the end of the day, for North America to compete globally, Mexico, the United States and Canada have to work together at every level,” Crow said during the ceremony. “We have to work together in human capital development, technology development, manufacturing, supply chain security … work together in every possible way so all North American assets can be fully realized.
“We have three great democracies, we can do anything, but we just have to find a way to make things work.”
ASU exemplifies how universities can connect science, industry and the government around a shared national and regional vision for the future, Ebrard said. He pointed to the university’s work in semiconductors to date as a model for North America to organize talent, tech and partnerships necessary to produce needed technologies in this part of the world.
“This is meaningful for our region, our kids, our future as a nation,” Ebrard said. "We need each other and we want to be together. We are going to do it.”
ASU has been committed to North American progress for a long time, working with Mexican universities and government partners, Crow said.
More recently, ASU developed specialized courses supporting the sector, including English for the Semiconductor Industry, Introduction to Microelectronics and Nanoelectronics, and Law for the Semiconductor Industry, said Paola Hidalgo, assistant vice president for Mexico relations at ASU. Along with Mexican university partners, ASU has enrolled more than 30,00 learners from every state in Mexico.
“In addition, ASU’s Fulton Schools of Engineering started to implement the Diversifying Semiconductor Supply Chain program last March, with support from the U.S. Department of State,” Hidalgo said. “This program offers training on semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging. Since March, the engineering school has served hundreds of learners.”
The previous work was built on a 2022 MOU signed by Crow and Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, then Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S. ASU and Mexico’s Secretariat of Economy will work together to determine specific projects under the new agreement, based on their roles and available resources.
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