It was truly a pleasure and an honor for Cascade Systems Technology (CST) to host U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (Oregon, 1st district) and members of the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition (PNDC) recently!

We had an excellent discussion with Congresswoman Bonamici about the next stage of the U.S. Government Chips & Science Act and silicon supply chain challenges; the critical role of circuit board manufacturers and other downstream companies who support semiconductor technology (after all, “chips don’t float” or work on their own!); and the importance of keeping such electronics infrastructure stateside…not offshore or even near shore.

It was also great to show Congresswoman Bonamici one such supporting factory (ours!) in action and experience first-hand her genuine interest, keen intellect, and insightful questions. We were also impressed that Congresswoman Bonamici made a point of speaking at length with many of CST’s employees during the tour. I have every confidence she left with a true understanding of how circuit boards are made and that she will take our important message to Washington, DC where she’ll help drive supportive legislation at the national level that recognizes the value and contribution of a resilient and prospering silicon supply chain/ecosystem to American job creation, competitiveness, and both economic and national security!

They say a “a rising tide lifts all boats.” With Congresswoman Bonamici’s visit, understanding, and commitment and with initiatives like PNDC’s Congressional Roundtables helping to foster such important dialogue, I am more convinced than ever we’re heading in precisely that direction!

–  Shantanu R. Gupta,
President & CEO, Cascade Systems Technology

“It’s a privilege to celebrate the 2023 Awards Gala with such distinguished honorees,” said Deanna Palm, President and CEO of the WCCC, in the organization’s press release announcing the event. She added “This year’s recipients have truly set the bar for excellence. Their outstanding achievements and dedication are not just exemplary; they inspire and elevate the standards of success in our community.”

On behalf of my exceptional, hard-working, talented, and innovative teammates here at CST, I was proud to be to accept this honor on Thursday evening. Even better, I was moved to read these kind words in the event program, used to describe CST when bestowing the award upon us — shared here, so all of my colleagues at CST, our customers, our partners, and our friends and family members can read them too!

“At the heart of Cascade Systems Technology (CST) lies a strong and vibrant company culture that is integral to its success. This culture is characterized by a close-knit team, many of whom have been with the company for 20 to 25 years or more. This longevity within the team speaks volumes about CST’s work environment, emphasizing not just hard work but also enjoyment and a strong sense of camaraderie. It’s a culture where teamwork is paramount and helping each other succeed is a shared goal.

Beyond its internal environment, CST’s commitment to community involvement and workforce development is notable. The company has taken proactive steps to engage with the younger generation and spark interest in technology and manufacturing. CST has hosted several tours for high school students and tech classes from Portland Community College (PCC), providing them with a critical glimpse into a real technology manufacturing factory. These initiatives are not just about showcasing the company’s operations but are aimed at inspiring students and igniting a passion for the field of microelectronics. The impact of these efforts is evident in the feedback received, such as the thank you email from the organizers of the PCC class tour, which highlighted that two students were motivated to pursue careers in microelectronics after their visit.

CST’s involvement extends to significant contributions towards workforce development in Oregon, particularly in relation to the Chips Act. The company has been actively involved in discussions with Oregon legislators, with CST’s President & CEO, Shantanu Gupta testifying about silicon-based manufacturing and its implications for the state’s economy and technological advancement. This involvement has led to a prominent position in the industry, as evidenced by the selection of Shantanu Gupta to be one of the 12 members of Oregon’s Chips Act Task Force. The work of this Task Force resulted in the successful roll out of the Chips Act related funding for 14 semiconductor companies and
R&D tax credit process for Semiconductor Related companies.

These actions demonstrate CST’s dedication not only to its immediate business goals but also to fostering a skilled workforce and supporting the broader technological and manufacturing community in Oregon. Through its strong company culture, community involvement, and active participation in shaping industry policies, CST sets itself apart as a leader committed to the growth and development of both its team and the wider industry.”

It takes an extraordinary team to warrant such praise and achieve such honors — and I feel myself truly blessed and privileged to count myself as a member of one such team. On behalf of everyone at CST, I also want to express my sincere gratitude to the folks at Washington County Chamber of Commerce for this recognition: It genuinely means a lot to us!

–  Shantanu R. Gupta,
President & CEO, Cascade Systems Technology

#ContractManufacturing #PCBAssembly #SMT #BoxBuild #WireBonding #FunctionalTesting #NEDME2023

The theme of this year’s symposium was “People, Place and Space”, addressing the issues of empowering the workforce of tomorrow (People), balancing innovation with tradition (Place), and ensuring room for growth (Space). It was wonderful to hear about the work that the Hillsboro School District is doing in partnership with manufacturing companies to enable students towards a career in manufacturing. CST has been an active participant in this effort and has hosted High School and Community College students at the CST factory in Hillsboro. It is great to see the progress made since last year’s symposium on the land use challenge – critical for the future growth of the county.

Thank you to the other panelists participating in this event – Cherie Clark, Charlie Hopewell, Travis Reiman, Daniel Dias and Mike Thomas.

A special shout out to Deanna Palm, CEO of Washington Chamber of Commerce, and her team for organizing this impactful event!

#manufacturing #manufacturinginnovation #communitybuilding #washingtoncounty

A big thank you to Denise Ryser, Executive Director, Erica Bogard, PNDC Board Chair and Sam Zvirzdys, Director of Market Development, for their leadership of this organization and partnership with member companies like CST. We look forward to our continued collaboration with this amazing organization!

With this new “CST Spotlight” series, I’m excited to shift to real-world examples of innovation happening within CST’s own sphere – by drawing attention to the noteworthy breakthroughs being achieved by our customers. (I’m also proud that CST is helping them in our way, as a supplier!)

Hope you enjoy these conversations and that you’ll let me know if you do!

–  Shantanu R. Gupta,
CEO, Cascade Systems Technology

At this point, it’s clear that a well-conceived technology roadmap and a growth plan for electric vehicles (EVs) will drive the future of clean tech and impact our civilization and, indeed, our planet. Fortunately, there are companies like CST’s customer Northwest Power  (NWP), a subsidiary of Vicor, who are hard at work overcoming some of the most pressing challenges of EV design. As the company’s website puts it, they are “a leader in high-performance power modules, enabling customer innovation with easy-to-deploy modular power system solutions for power delivery networks.” Recently, I had a chance to speak with Chris Roots, who is Director of Operations at NWP’s Milwuakie, Oregon facility about some of those challenges and what his firm is doing to surmount them.

Q |  SHANTANU GUPTA: Chris, thanks for connecting with me on the exciting things you’re working on at the moment in the automotive sector, where we’ve had the opportunity to support you and collaborate with you and your team. Can you touch on a couple of the challenges that have got your gears turning at present?
A | CHRIS ROOTS: Thanks for including us in the CST blog; it’s been a pleasure working with your team on a variety of projects in recent years and I’m happy to share some of the things we’re seeing in the EV industry based on work we’re doing for several of our own customers. The first is the fact that EVs are still running a 12V accessory circuit, and most have a traditional 12V battery in them to power all the traditional parts such as radio, headlights, wipers, power seats, electronic steering, and so on. There is typically an HV-to-LV charger that uses the HV battery to keep the 12V battery topped up. This is clearly not the most efficient way to get power to these items, but since the legacy 12V system is so deeply ingrained and ubiquitous in the automotive industry, and since designing an EV already takes so much engineering time, it just makes sense for these first-gen EV cars to use the existing 12V parts that are so available.

Q: So, how do you see the industry addressing this or migrating to another approach? And what will that new approach look like in future models of EVs?
A: The first step we’re seeing on the path away from 12V is to eliminate the battery, and use real-time, on-demand power conversion from the HV battery pack to 12V. It’s a small step from the perspective of the whole car, but the power supply design is challenging in that the response time to dramatic changes in current on the 12V end must be very, very low. The primary example of this would be emergency maneuvers that include large brake and steering inputs. If there is a lag in the power delivery to the braking and steering system due to the large transient in current, bad things happen. Of course, overall reliability is very important as well. Losing 12V while driving down the road would be unacceptable.

Q: Talk about ways that system designs can positively or negatively impact consumers in the real world! What’s the next step?
A: After replacing the 12V battery with on demand power conversion, we’ll need to change whole accessory architecture – as opposed to the drive architecture — to a higher voltage, probably 48V. The on-demand power supply can easily be redesigned to output 48V instead of 12V, and the conversion efficiency increases quite a bit at 48V vs 12V. Bussing 48V around the vehicle instead of 12V also has the advantage of being 1/4th the current of the 12V system, given the same power. So, the lower current directly translates to smaller wires and less losses over length. And as LV power consumption increases in future vehicle designs, the gains of a 48V bus will increase as well.

Q: Sounds promising, more efficient for sure, with lots of trickle-effect benefits. What else are you and Northwest Power working on?
A: The second problem we’re working on is the switch from 400V batteries to 800V. Up until this model year, I believe, all EV manufacturers were using 400V battery packs because that is what was available. 800V battery packs are now becoming production ready and I think Hyundai is the first to hit the market with an 800V platform. I won’t go into the benefits of the 800V over 400V, but again the 50% reduction in current for the same power is not inconsequential. The issue that has been brought to us is the fact that EV charger infrastructure that so many businesses are pouring money into right now is almost all 400V chargers. As 800V platforms become more common, 800V chargers will also become more commonplace, but the 400V chargers and 400V cars will still be out there.

Q: That will sort of put some onus on consumers, won’t it? Knowing what charging system is a fit for their vehicle… Like gasoline vs. diesel?
A: Yes. Asking drivers to not only know if their car is 400V or 800V, but also paying attention to charger voltages is probably not conducive to the EV adoption rate that manufacturers are wanting. One solution is a bi-directional 400V<->800V converter that can output fast charger power (150kW or so) and can be installed one way in 800V cars, such that if they plug into a 400V charger it steps it up to 800V, and installed the opposite way in a 400V car, so that if connected to an 800V charger it will step it down to 400V. This is the solution we are currently working on.

Q: Some interesting challenges and trends to keep an eye on for sure. And no doubt Northwest Power, and Vicor, are encountering analogous or even more complex power-handling challenges in rail, UAVs, space vehicle, and even – let’s call them stationary applications as well, like robotics and manufacturing automation?
A: Oh yeah, that’s really our core competency. We’re always looking to achieve gains in density, efficiency, power-delivery capabilities and packaging… The same things we and no doubt your other customers demand of you, Shantanu. Everyone wants it smaller, lighter, with better thermal properties, more reliability, and cost efficiency.

Q: It’s what we do, right?
A: It’s what we do. And all of these solutions require a competent, collaborative, responsive PCBA partner like CST that enables Northwest Power & Vicor to design, build and test out these innovative solutions that are moving the needle for this exciting industry!
SHANTANU: Thanks Chris! It’s indeed our pleasure to have the opportunity to partner with an industry leader like yourself.

Interested in learning more about what Northwest Power is up to at the forefront of power management or the kinds of solutions CST is contributing to the effort – email Chris or email me a line at CST.

–  Shantanu R. Gupta,
CEO, Cascade Systems Technology

That’s why – in addition to supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to reinvest aggressively in American semiconductor companies (see my previous blog on the Chips and Science Act of 2022) offering substantial strategic incentives to U.S.-based chip makers like Intel, QualComm, Broadcom, and Micron – I am vigorously supporting enactment of a 2% R&D tax credit here in the state of Oregon.

This modest incentive, an investment in Oregon’s future, will go far toward encouraging innovation among the thousands of Oregon’s small- and mid-sized tech companies who enable and support silicon companies. (The ripple effect of that investment goes without saying.) It will also help ensure that tech jobs associated with the resulting innovation stay here in the U.S., just as the Federal “Chips Act” is intended to promote rebuilding state-side chip manufacturing infrastructure.

Happily, I was afforded an opportunity to elaborate on this perspective directly to Oregon legislators and the lawmakers on the Joint Semiconductor Committee in a public hearing held on Friday, May 5. Here’s a summary of my testimony:

“While acknowledging and applauding the significant steps Oregon has recently made in the semiconductor investment arena – i.e. the $210 million Oregon CHIPS Act that emerged from the forward-thinking work done by the Joint Committee on Semiconductors and signed into law by Governor Kotek in April — I encourage our legislators to now broaden their perspective and investment beyond silicon chip manufacturing to spur similar, much-needed investment, momentum, and growth among Oregon’s equally vital small- and mid-size technology manufacturers, software companies, and other service providers whose contribution enable innovation at the big chip companies.

More specifically, the R&D tax credit is critical for such companies, as we strive to keep pace with the innovation occurring at the large companies – as well as achieve breakthroughs of our own in materials science, manufacturing, quality assurance, and many other aspects of our businesses.

In fact, innovation in silicon cannot be achieved without innovation across the whole technology sector – which includes PCBAs, box assemblies, system design, testing, and development of the very software stacks critical at the heart of emerging technologies like quantum computing, AI, advances in cloud computing. My own company, Cascade Systems Technology, is one among many examples the committee can consider: At CST, we assemble circuit boards and full box assemblies for a customer here in Oregon that is deploying them in a fabrication facility for semiconductor companies. So, in this case, CST’s technology is in use on both sides of the semiconductor supply cycle – pre-production (through building solutions needed in silicon fabrication) and also in post- production (where we’re helping to make the silicon functional in an advanced and complex circuit board.

Finally, given current geo-political realities and the hard-earned supply-chain lessons of the pandemic, it’s now well understood that we must nurture that ecosystem in the US to continue to be a global superpower: The U.S. cannot be reliant on foreign entities to “assemble” all the parts to make those advanced semiconductors functional. And if those competencies are to return to America, as well they should, why should we not ensure Oregon leads the way? In my view, Oregon has a tremendous opportunity if we pull this together with a holistic approach and design a legislative effort with the entire semiconductor solution stack – and not just the chip – in mind.”

Of course and importantly, I am but one member in the chorus that’s encouraging adoption of the 2% R&D tax credit in our great state. Here’s Duncan Wyse, President of the Oregon Business Council (OBC), writing to Senator Janeen Sollman and Representative Janelle Bynum — both members of the Joint Committee on Semiconductors (JSEMI) — on the need for the credit:

“Oregon is one of only 12 states without an R&D Tax Credit, while nearly every state competing against us for investment has one. Expert and stakeholder testimony to JSEMI has made clear the importance of these programs and how they work. EcoNorthwest has produced data for the committee demonstrating that these types of investments, when used to generate recruitment or expansion of semiconductor and advanced manufacturing firms, produce net returns to the state very quickly. Furthermore, guidance from the Department of Commerce has made clear that states and localities must show clear incentives for firms in those locations to receive funding under CHIPS. The continued absence of these incentives will cast doubt on CHIPS Act applications seeking to invest in Oregon by putting local employers at a significant disadvantage compared to peers in other states.”

And here is my good friend and colleague Skip Newberry, CEO of the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO), recently touching on the topic at hand:

“I am optimistic about the progress we are making with legislation in strengthening economic incentives for sectors such as semiconductors and advanced manufacturing firms that are critical to Oregon’s economy. The Oregon Chips Act is one exceptional example. Having just spent a bunch of time in Eugene, another example is the investment that’s taking place on the Knight Campus at the University of Oregon. And I remain hopeful that our legislators will shortly be advancing and adopting the proposed R&D tax credit, which will accrue significant benefits to the hundreds of Oregon tech firms who surround and enable our chip-makers with value and innovation they need to excel.”  

Interested in joining me, Duncan, Skip, and others in our sector who are advocating for the R&D tax credit in Oregon?

I strongly urge you to write to your legislators in support of the notion or reach out to the advocacy teams at the OBC and/or TAO to avail yourself and get involved. Just as a 2% tax credit for R&D activities can have a huge ripple effect on the economy, outlook, and competitive stance of Oregon – and our nation, as a whole — adding your support and story can help turn the tide on this possible legislation… Raising ALL our boats in the process!

–  Shantanu R. Gupta,
President & CEO, Cascade Systems Technology

I was also struck by an announcement four days earlier, namely news of the release of the Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). I mention this for two reasons.

First, it called to mind that, later in his life, Gordon leveraged a sizeable portion of his formidable wealth and influence to support environmental initiatives and protect our planet by establishing the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Here’s an excerpt from that institution’s Statement of Founders’ Intent:

“Our interest in environmental conservation stems from our personal observations of changes in the natural world and from the dependency of all living species on the planet’s health. During our lifetimes we have observed the transformation of much of what was natural wilderness to highly-developed property. Jungles have become golf courses; beaches, condominium developments; and the oceans have been over-fished and become garbage dumps. With these changes, precious ecosystem functions are lost, often forever. Huge areas of the planet are in danger of having their basic structure altered as a consequence of development and exploitation of resources. [Our Foundation seeks to support] pragmatic solutions that maintain the integrity of essential ecosystem functions while accommodating necessary development and other activity.”

So, in the same week that the IPCC was issuing its latest, much-anticipated, and (per usual) good-news/bad-news report on climate change, we found ourselves bidding farewell to an tech industry leader who established a powerful and lasting legacy focused on countering and mitigating many of the darker trends outlined in the report. (Since its founding in 2000, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has granted $2.2 billion in support of environmental initiatives, or just under 50% of the foundation’s total grants awarded… That’s forward thinking and generosity on a massive scale!)

If you think about it, a second legacy that Gordon predicted and left us with is the increasingly powerful and positive role that silicon, microprocessors and PCBAs are playing in achieving the goals furthered by Gordon’s and Betty’s philanthropic endeavors.

Consider the positive, enabling, and even critical role electronics are playing in advancing ‘green’ technology. Here at CST alone, we’ve helped develop, manufacture and plan to deliver a wide and diverse array of PCBAs intended for truly exciting ‘green’ applications.) Here are just a few examples:

Given these and other instances in which electronics are helping civilization reduce its negative impact on planet Earth, I believe all of us can, and should, take a measure of pride in making these kinds of technologies possible. I know we, at CST, do. And I believe Gordon Moore undoubtedly did, too.

–  Shantanu R. Gupta,
President & CEO, Cascade Systems Technology

PS: If you are building products in any of the clean-tech segments outlined above, contact us and we would be happy to partner with you to make a difference to the future of our planet!

Last month, I had the high honor and genuine pleasure to serve as the moderator of an online panel discussion held by the Intel Alumni Network. Held on January 11 and recorded for posterity – see the link below — the event was accurately titled “The Intel 386 Processor – A watershed moment in computing.”

As you’ll see, the panel provided fascinating behind-the-scenes perspectives from some of the top innovators assigned to what was then considered Intel’s “Job 1” in the early 1980s, designated as such by legendary then-CEO Andy Grove who rightly staked the company’s future on pivoting away from the commoditized memory business toward the infinite promise of microprocessors.

Included on the panel were John Crawford, Claude Leglise, Joseph “Chip” Krauskopf, and current Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (see their bios below), all of whom clearly enjoyed sharing stories, insights, lessons learned, and friendly reminiscences about the challenges, objectives & strategies, innovations, and camaraderie that characterized the development of Intel’s 386 microprocessor. (It is not an exaggeration to say Intel’s 386 played a seminal role in catalyzing the PC industry in the mid-1980s, which in turn enabled the subsequent ubiquity of microprocessors in countless consumer, business, and industrial electronics we rely on and take for granted today!)

As you dive into the panel discussion – honestly, I think any and all lovers of technology will find it interesting – you may wish to take note of several threads I’ve touched on in recent months here in CST’s blog, among them:

• The importance of educating and providing opportunities for the next generation of technological innovators. As you’ll see, the panelists and their team-mates were largely recent graduates with freshly minted degrees in computer science or other engineering disciplines. Given both a high-stakes objective and a long leash by Intel’s upper management – and blessed with brilliant minds, determination, and a scrappy, can-do attitude – the 386 team and initiative is a perfect case history for why our industry, indeed our nation, should aggressively invest in STEM education.
• Given the intensity of the effort, long hours, risk taking, and multi-person focus on a single goal – a remarkable espirit de corps emerged on the 386 project. I’ve seen and written about the value of teamwork at CST and seen it first hand during my own time at Intel. Yet another reminder how strong teams can achieve incredible results!
• Several of my recent blog posts touched on how critical it is that the United States invests in creating a fully formed semiconductor ecosystem – or, more precisely, recreating the infrastructure we’d begun to develop before the off-shoring craze of the 1990s. When you consider the vast and far-reaching impact that Intel’s 386 had on the PC market following its introduction, it’s no great leap to imagine all we might once again achieve by fostering and investing in the semiconductor-based technology innovation engine right here in America.
• Last but not least, the very exercise of looking back at the early days of the microprocessor is instructive in that it serves as a tangible reminder that we, too, are entering a whole new, but in some ways remarkably similar, technology revolution. AI, IoT, autonomous transportation, augmented and virtual reality, cloud and edge computing, smart cities, astounding technological advances in green and clean-energy, a new era in space exploration… In my heart, this time feels very much like the extraordinary frontier we were entering with the 386. Let us learn, take some of our cues, and take inspiration from those exciting, not-so-distant days.

I hope you enjoy watching and listening to this discussion as much as I enjoyed leading it!

–  Shantanu R. Gupta,
President & CEO, Cascade Systems Technology

Panel member biographies:

Claude Leglise started working at Intel straight out of graduate school in 1982 as a Product Marketing Engineer for the 8086/8088 processors. A year later in 1983, he was promoted to marketing manager for the 286 and 386 families, where he was responsible for the successful launch of the 386. As the marketing director for all microprocessors, he led the public launches of several new products, including the 386SX, 486, and i860. After spending 23 years at Intel, Claude switched careers and became a venture capitalist. He has one US patent to his name.

Chip Krauskopf joined Intel and the 386 project in 1983 with a BS in Computer Engineering and an MSEE. He was part of the team responsible for the design of the Segmentation Unit of the 386, which solved the infamous “64K limit” problem for software programmers and earned him an Intel Individual Achievement Award. He later managed the design automation for the 486 and spent 20 years at Intel before moving on to work for startups. Chip has 6 US patents to his name, 5 of which were awarded for his contributions to the 386 project, and has received 4 Intel Achievement Awards.

John Crawford started his career at Intel as a software developer for 8086 programming tools for 4 years before being assigned to the 386 project as its first employee. He served as the Architect, defining the instruction set, and led the development of the microcode and test programs. He went on to lead similar roles on the 486 and Pentium processors. John is now retired and was named an Intel Fellow and member of the National Academy of Engineering. He holds 52 patents and was awarded the ACM/IEEE Eckert-Mauchly Award.

Pat Gelsinger is the CEO of Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker. He joined the company in 1979 and has held a variety of leadership positions in engineering and product groups. Prior to his current role, Gelsinger was the CEO of cloud computing company VMWare. Under his leadership, Intel is focusing on growth and innovation in both its core business and new areas such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. As CEO of Intel, Pat Gelsinger has made several significant contributions and launched important initiatives to drive the company’s growth and competitiveness, including:

• Investment in advanced manufacturing, including a multi-billion-dollar plan to build two new fabs in the United States and expand existing facilities.
• Focus on AI and data-centric innovation, including the acquisition of Habana Labs, a leading AI chipmaker.
• Partnership with other tech companies to accelerate Intel’s growth and innovation in key areas such as 5G networks, cloud computing, and IoT.
• Reinvigorating Intel’s core PC business, responding to increased competition and supply chain disruptions with several new products and initiatives.

Shantanu Gupta (panel moderator) spent 28 years working at Intel in a variety of roles, including server CPU design development, marketing, and business development for existing and new markets. He joined Intel after finishing graduate school and initially worked on the Intel 960 processor before joining the design team for the Pentium Pro (P6), Intel’s first server processor before Xeon. He has nine patents in the field of processor architecture and design from his work on the Pentium Pro (P6). Today, he is the CEO of Cascade Systems Technology, an EMS company located in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Not by coincidence, and happily, the event also echoed developments and news on this same front arising from the tech sector (here’s an example on the semiconductor front from Intel) and from Washington, DC, including massive Federal investments in re-onshoring semiconductor capabilities; strategic efforts to curtail access by China and Russia to our most advanced, U.S.-borne chip technology that pose serious risks to national security here at home and among fragile democracies globally; and billions of dollars recently made available to companies developing battery, fuel cell, and adjacent technologies that will both help power future EV fleets and help America meet its aggressive emissions and global-warming mitigation goals.

Tailgating at the TAO event at UO (Go Ducks!)

Highlights of the event included a tour of UO’s new Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, a happy hour co-sponsored by Onward Eugene and Oregon Bioscience Association, and a terrific tailgate party ahead of a Ducks-Stanford football game (Go Ducks!). For me sporting event at hand served as a fitting metaphor: In the technology field – as on the gridiron — it will take a winning strategy, profound talent, and just the sort of investment UO is making in technology if we are to be “ahead of the game” worldwide. (BTW, the Ducks prevailed in the game: 45 to 27!)

So, what exactly is UO up to on these fronts and, as such, walking the talk of needed tech investment?

According to Sally Bell, “UO’s recent investments are foundational in knitting together the innovation silos across the state. The scope and importance for the expansion of facilities and programs will be an enormous lever for the tech ecosystem for recruitment of top talent, commercialization of new technologies and continued differentiation for Oregon’s economic resilience.”

Just three examples:

• A new UO campus situated in metropolitan Portland focused on experiential and tech-centric learning opportunities, networking, and internships throughout the region. Highlights will include a virtual- and augmented reality lab, PDX fabrication lab, and labs for sports product development and management.
• The Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, opened in 2019, whose mission focuses on “training new generations of scientists, forging tighter ties with industry and entrepreneurs, and creating new opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.” Among enumerable resources at the new campus is the Knight Campus Innovation Center, offering leasable labs and offices for startup companies and creating a unique blend of engineering, applied sciences, and business innovation.  Just one for instance among many. According to Knight Campus Executive Director, Robert Guldberg, a pilot startup venture program has already yielded three startup companies that are moving new technologies to market. (You can read more updates from Robert on the impressive and fast-accumulating successes emerging from the campus.)
• Integration with regional technology industries – UO has been making significant, ongoing investments in outreach to, and collaboration with, tech-industry players in Portland and points beyond across Oregon. From stepping up both the volume and quality of student-centric opportunities like hands-on internships and co-ops; to direct involvement of corporate management and engineering professionals in the university’s academic programming, syllabus development, and collaborative research; to forging advisory relationships that inform UO’s future tech planning — my own attendance at the tech/Ducks weekend is an instance of this – the University of Oregon is really undergoing a sea-change in this area and fast becoming a force for tech innovation in the Pacific Northwest and nationally.

A snapshot of some of the folks who attended the TAO tech event at UO recently

There are many other examples and initiatives I could point to at UO (e.g., climbing enrollment, recent hires, very promising graduation stats to report already), but my larger point is that these are precisely the kinds of investments of capital, talent, and infrastructure that I’ve been promoting as being necessary to retaining, and indeed expanding America’s stature as a technology leader.

They also add to the portfolio of case studies in which TAO, itself, has helped to catalyze regional innovation over the last few years despite – and these being accomplished despite significant economic and supply chain issues arising from the pandemic.

Again, I’ll let Sally chime in: “There are four great examples of public/industry/education partnerships that TAO is convening and leading to build an environment for innovation in Oregon.

1. First, in June 2022, TAO hosted a Commerce Chain Summit which brought together thought-leaders from throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond to discuss how best to strengthen our physical, digital and human infrastructure to ensure that businesses, residents and our natural environment benefit from a secure, resilient, and agile commerce chain.
2. Next, Smart and Connected Cities remains a top priority for our region and TAO hosted a three-part series in 2022, focused on cleantech innovation and investment, smart city technologies, cybersecurity, and the digital divide.
3. Third, the historic amount of Federal and State funds for economic recovery and innovation has given rise to TAOs involvement in a wide variety of cross-sector proposals and efforts underway for agricultural technology, cybersecurity, bio- and life- science, centers of innovation excellence and research. This collaborative approach for seeking investment is critical to Oregon’s success in this competitive landscape.
4. And last but not least, TAO is poised to facilitate Future Ready Oregon’s investment in workforce development through an industry-led process to work in lock step with education partners and workforce boards to bring a new era of tech upskilling to the state.“

If, as I stated at the onset, the goal is stay “ahead of the game” by investing in American competitiveness – seems to me we have a winning team and game plan here in Oregon!

–  Shantanu R. Gupta,
CEO, Cascade Systems Technology