Samsung to help fund UT engineering

Samsung Electronics and the University of Texas at Austin have reached an agreement that will see the technology giant invest $3.7 million at the Cockrell School of Engineering. The money, which was announced last week at a “semiconductor day” celebration earlier this month, will help fund recruiting and supporting undergraduate and graduate students to study semiconductor manufacturing at the school, as well as in other key majors in the semiconductor space across the university. It will also pay for research and development support and upgrades to lab facilities. The money is coming as a $1 million contribution to the Cockrell School from Samsung’s Austin market facilities and the remaining $2.7 million from the larger parent company. Samsung currently has hundreds of jobs available locally, and that number is expected to increase dramatically as the company moves forward with a $17 billion manufacturing facility in Taylor.