Electronics

Central New Mexico’s electronics cluster is more diverse than most. Anchored by Intel, the cluster of about 50 companies includes many lab and university spin-offs and start-ups.

Activities include manufacture of computer chips, silicon wafers and electronic components and equipment; development and production of semiconductor measurement tools and training equipment; and electronics fabrication and assembly.

Intel, which began operations here with 50 employees in 1980, now has 5,000 employees, and the operation is the largest of its kind in the world.

Other major manufacturers include:

SUMCO PhoenixCorp. , which specializes in 200mm epitaxial wafers for such applications as 32- and 64-bit microprocessors, microcontrollers, DRAM and FLASH memory, and ASIC integrated circuits. .

Sennheiser Electronics GmbH, which makes wireless microphones, personal monitors and transmission systems. The Albuquerque facility has expanded its employee base eight-fold and posted more than a decade of year-over-year revenue growth since it opened in 2000.

Innovasic Semiconductor, which produces integrated circuits for customers with long product life-cycles and supplies extended-life processors, peripherals, ASICs and mixed-signal devices for embedded communication and control.

What Electronics Companies Say

Joe Fortuin, general manager of Sennheiser New Mexico LLC: “We’ve got the best employees you could possibly ask for.”

Workforce Training

Electronics training starts in high school with the Advanced Technology Academy http://www.sandia.gov/ciim/ASK/ata.html, which provides a career path to Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) and UNM. CNM’s electronics and advanced manufacturing programs, developed with industry input, are well established and offer associate degrees and certificates. CNM worked with Intel to develop a program in semiconductor manufacturing that was so successful, Intel has replicated it across its operations.

In 2010 CNM bought the former Motorola property and will use one building for Applied Technology labs.

UNM’s School of Engineering has degree programs in manufacturing engineering, with a semiconductor and electronics track. See http://www-mep.unm.edu/ .

Electronics Assets

Sandia National Laboratories is a world leader in the technology required for development, fabrication, and production of microelectronic devices. Sandia's Electronics Quality/Reliability Center is available to commercial electronics manufacturers and is also used in education and training.

UNM’s The Center for High Technology Materials has a national reputation for its work in optoelectronics and microelectronics. The Manufacturing Training and Technology Center  dead link, use http://www-mep.unm.edu/mttc.phptrains both UNM and TVI students and provides space for startup companies to prototype devices.

Contacts

Technology Industries Association of New Mexico