Advantest and Singapore Polytechnic Jointly Establish New Test Engineering Centre to Boost Capabilities of Integrated Circuit Test Engineers in Southeast Asia

TOKYO, (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation announced today that its subsidiary, Advantest (Singapore) Pte Ltd, has entered into a strategic partnership with Singapore Polytechnic (SP) to establish a Test Engineering Centre (TEC) to enhance and upgrade the test development and product characterisation capabilities of semiconductor test engineers in the Southeast Asia region.

This is the first time that Advantest is collaborating with an Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) in Singapore. The signed Memorandum of Collaboration marks the commitment of both business partners to train and equip semiconductor test engineers in Singapore and the region with future-ready technical competencies that are essential to advance the growing the semiconductor industry.

Advantest and SP will develop new initiatives to grow the workforce readiness and build an inclusive talent ecosystem for the semiconductor industry. Advantest and SP will co-create hands-on learning experiences for both Pre-Employment Training (PET) students and Continuing Education & Training (CET) learners. The curricula will be developed with a strong focus on semiconductor testing to provide practical and up-to-date industry-related knowledge to learners of all ages so as to build a robust talent pipeline for the region.

As part of the collaboration, Advantest installed the state-of-the-art test system, V93000 and M4841 handler, a scalable system which is widely adopted by the semiconductor testing industry. It will support a wide range of device testing applications in both engineering development and high volume manufacturing. This integrated test cell solution is a key enabler for test floor automation and smart manufacturing. These cutting edge facilities will enable learners to acquire the relevant knowledge and practical hands-on experience by working on real-life test applications and operations with industry experts.

“Advantest is honored to support these industry skill-development initiatives together with Singapore Polytechnic. We enthusiastically support this collaboration which will help lay the foundation, as well as create value, for the entire semiconductor value chain,” said Mr Ricky Sim, Managing Director and CEO of Advantest Singapore.

Mr Soh Wai Wah, Principal and CEO of Singapore Polytechnic, said, “The semiconductor industry powers billions of devices around the world. As semiconductor designs become more complex and market pressures rise, highly skilled semiconductor test engineers will play an increasingly critical role in achieving manufacturing and testing excellence so that their products can meet the advanced computational power and capacity standards to create technological breakthroughs. Partnering with Advantest will enable us to jointly expand and strengthen a regional talent pool with the specialised expertise for semiconductor companies to tap on and scale up their business with a clear competitive edge in a fast growing digital world.”

About Advantest Corporation
Advantest (TSE: 6857) is the leading manufacturer of automatic test and measurement equipment used in the design and production of semiconductors for applications including 5G communications, the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, high performance computing (HPC) including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and more. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also conducts R&D to address emerging testing challenges and applications; develops advanced test-interface solutions for wafer sort and final test; produces scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing; and offers system-level test solutions and other test-related accessories. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest is a global company with facilities around the world and an international commitment to sustainable practices and social responsibility. More information is available at www.advantest.com.

About Singapore Polytechnic
Established in 1954, Singapore Polytechnic (SP) is Singapore’s first polytechnic. It has 10 schools that offer 30 full-time diploma courses and three common entry programmes for more than 13,500 students. SP adopts a proven creative teaching and learning framework and offers students a holistic, authentic and industry-relevant curriculum, innovative and vibrant learning spaces, and enriching overseas programmes.

The Polytechnic is committed to producing competent and versatile graduates who are also imbued with sound values, so that they can be work ready, life ready and world ready. SP has more than 223,000 graduates and among them are successful entrepreneurs, top executives in multi-national and public-listed corporations, and well-known professionals across various industries and leaders in government.

SP clinched the inaugural ASEAN People’s Award in 2015 for its contributions toward the region’s community-building efforts. SP is also the first polytechnic to be awarded the President’s Award for the Environment in 2010 and the President’s Social Service Award in 2011.

For more information on Singapore Polytechnic, please visit www.sp.edu.sg.

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