Importantly for Samsung, two of the three universities chosen for recruitment already have formal ties with the company in semiconductor education and workforce development. Samsung Austin Semiconductor invested $1 million in Texas A&M’s engineering school in 2023. The funding supports scholarships and graduate fellowships, as well as student projects linked to semiconductor engineering. At UIUC, Samsung launched a semiconductor education program in 2023 with $1 million in annual funding planned through 2027. UW-Madison does not have a comparable disclosed funding relationship with Samsung, but it has expanded its semiconductor research base.