The University of Washington today announced a multimillion-dollar gift to establish the Winbond Endowed Fund for Excellence in the College of Engineering, supporting research, education and innovation for students, faculty and staff.
The $12 million gift from Winbond Electronics Corporation America, a U.S. subsidiary of Taiwan-based Winbond Electronics Corporation, a global semiconductor company and leading provider of memory and integrated circuit solutions, provides the College with the flexibility to make strategic investments in exceptional people, promising ideas and emerging opportunities.
“Winbond’s investment in the College of Engineering reflects tremendous confidence in our faculty and students and strengthens our ability to advance discovery in emerging technologies. Deepening the UW’s partnership with Winbond also creates new opportunities to connect with leading companies and scholars across the Pacific Rim,” said UW President Robert J. Jones. “The fact that this partnership is championed by UW alumnus Arthur Chiao makes it all the more special to the University.”
Winbond’s chairman, Arthur Y.C. Chiao, (MS ‘80 Electrical Engineering) has spent more than three decades helping shape Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, advancing innovation in memory and logic integrated circuits, strengthening independent research and development capabilities and fostering collaboration across industry, academia and government. Chiao envisions the new fund as a catalyst for breakthrough discoveries, early-stage research and interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling the College to pursue bold initiatives and respond to evolving opportunities in engineering, technology and fields of future strategic importance. Examples include semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and advanced manufacturing, areas where the UW Engineering already leads, and could expand to include other emerging fields.
“Seattle is a gateway to the Pacific Northwest of North America, and the University of Washington will play an important role in connecting future technology innovation between North America and East Asia,” Chiao said.
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The fund will support research, faculty recruitment and retention, student scholarships and fellowships, research infrastructure, interdisciplinary collaborations and emerging opportunities across the College.
The work will build upon existing Pacific Rim collaborations and further interconnect the UW with industry and research across the globe.
“Arthur Chiao’s vision, leadership and lifelong commitment to the University of Washington make this gift especially meaningful. This investment strengthens our ability to attract talent, foster innovation and deepen collaborations across the Pacific Rim, creating new opportunities for students and researchers while advancing the technologies that will shape the future,” said Nancy Albritton, the Frank and Julie Jungers Endowed Dean at the College of Engineering.
For more information, contact Jackson Holtz at jjholtz@uw.edu.