UiTM Pulau Pinang empowers future engineers through ETSI semiconductor industry lecture series

This article documents and analyses the implementation of the ETSI Semiconductor Industry Lecture Series organised by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Penang Branch on 31 October 2025 at the Seminar Hall, Permatang Pauh Campus. As a core component of the Engineering Talent for the Semiconductor Industry (ETSI) Finishing School Programme, this high-impact lecture series was made compulsory for third- and fourth-year Electrical Engineering students to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world industrial practices. The programme featured two prominent industry leaders as keynote speakers: Mr. Afandi Bin Wan Ismail (Principal Engineer at Oppstar), who presented on “SoC Design Emulation and FPGA Prototyping” with a focus on frontend design processes, and Mr. Noorazidi Che Azib (Vice President at Inari Technology), who delivered a lecture on “Semiconductor Backend Operation: Assembly Test & Ecosystem.” The sessions highlighted the practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in production yield optimisation and examined Malaysia’s strategic position within the global semiconductor supply chain. The findings demonstrate that integrating knowledge from both frontend and backend semiconductor domains is crucial in developing competent, competitive, and industry-ready engineering graduates capable of advancing the global semiconductor ecosystem.