A global industry group announced a new program on Tuesday aimed at bolstering the number of women in the semiconductor market.
The Global Semiconductor Alliance said its Women’s Leadership Initiative would seek to increase both the number of women entering the market and the number in roles as founders, executives and board members. GSA officials said the industry’s gender gap prevents companies from adequately building the high-tech workforce it requires.
The program, led by a newly established WLI Council, initially plans to highlight women that are already impacting the semiconductor industry.
The WLI will also develop programs to support women entrepreneurs, create a series of best practices for semiconductor companies to promote women, and establish internships, conferences and university connections to build the number of women in the segment.
GSA officials vowed to establish benchmarks to ensure the initiative is making progress toward its goals.
“Women are under-represented in the semiconductor industry and efforts to strengthen and grow this important talent pool are critical to the long-term competitiveness of our industry,” AMD President and CEO Lisa Su, who also serves as the GSA’s chair and on the WLI Council.
The council is co-chaired by Qualcomm Chief Diversity Officer Vicki Mealer-Burke and NVIDIA Executive Vice President Debora Shoquist.