Austin, TX
How UT and Austin Community College are helping tackle semiconductor workforce needs
When U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo came to Austin Community College on Monday, she recognized a student at the school.
“She shakes my hand and she’s like, ‘Wait, do I remember you?’” said Eriverto Adame, a student at ACC who wants to work as an engineer.
On Raimondo’s visit to the campus Monday, she was meeting with ACC and University of Texas students aspiring to work in the semiconductor industry to ask them how she could help, Adame said. This was Raimondo’s second visit to ACC in a little over a year to learn about the college’s growing semiconductor workforce programs.
More: Why Samsung semiconductor plant in Taylor is receiving $6.4 billion from federal CHIPS Act
“We have the best people in the background right now who are putting all their effort and even more to expand this group,” Adame said.
After a governmental push to bolster the industry, ACC and the University of Texas announced in late March that they are developing a joint semiconductor training center and semiconductor curriculum and credentialing to create more education pathways to help fill jobs in the growing field.
Before stopping at ACC on Monday, Raimondo was in Taylor with other officials to announce a deal between the Biden administration and semiconductor production giant Samsung that would give $6.4 billion to the corporation’s still-under-construction manufacturing facility northeast of Austin.
Semiconductors enable modern technology in everything from a calculator to gaming systems, said Laura Marmolejo, associate dean of advanced manufacturing at ACC.
By 2030, the nation’s semiconductor workforce is projected to grow by 115,000 jobs, according to a July 2023 study by economic research consulting group Oxford Economics. It estimated that 58% of new jobs won’t be filled if degree completion rates stay the same — including technicians, computer scientists and engineers.
National security and the hardware behind artificial intelligence both rely on semiconductors, making it a national priority to address rising work needs internally instead of outsourcing jobs, said S.V. Sreenivasan, a professor in UT’s Cockrell School of Engineering.
“This is not only a fast-growing industry (that) creates well-paying jobs, but it’s strategically important for our commerce and our national security,” Sreenivasan said. “We either will lead or will follow, and you know what is the obvious thing to do.”
Sreenivasan led a task force at UT created in 2021 to bolster Austin’s semiconductor manufacturing as U.S. lawmakers from Texas were working on the CHIPS and Science Act, a bill President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022 that set aside $280 billion to address the shortage of microchips, an essential part of the manufacturing process.
After Texas passed its own CHIPS Act in 2023 to support and encourage companies and universities to invest in semiconductor innovation, Sreenivasan also served on the governor’s Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium.
“I’ve never seen this kind of collaboration to emphasize workforce,” Sreenivasan said. “We know the numbers that are needed and I think the plans are getting in place to go execute (and) make it happen.”
Marmolejo said ACC has been supporting the industry for 10 years. But with UT’s partnership, it’ll be able to expand hands-on opportunities for students in process training that used to be cost-prohibitive for ACC to provide alone.
Alyssa Reinhart, workforce development director at the Texas Institute for Electronics at UT, said the semiconductor training center, which could launch as early as January 2025, will have a physical space. Students will also take advantage of resources like the chip facility at UT’s J.J. Pickle Research Campus and a semiconductor plant on Montopolis Drive, which is currently under renovation.
The Texas Institute for Electronics, a public-private partnership created at UT which received $522 million in funding from the state, will provide $3.75 million to develop the new semiconductor training center, according to UT’s news release about the partnership.
Reinhart said the new joint UT-ACC program will work with industry partners to address the broad spectrum of jobs in the industry.
“We’re trying to align to the hiring cycles and with what company needs are,” Reinhart said.
In addition to the joint announcement, UT is also planning to launch a master’s degree in engineering with a major in semiconductor science and engineering. Reinhart said UT is also working on developing a minor.
Both higher education institutions are working to increase awareness of the forthcoming opportunities. Sreenivasan said UTeach, a program that prepares STEM-interested undergraduates to be teachers, has added semiconductors to the program. Reinhart said she is also working on involving K-12 education partners.
“People say we don’t have enough people to train for this industry,” Marmolejo said. “There are people, we just have to find a way to engage them with the educational systems with the jobs.”
Adame, who first enrolled at ACC in 2018 to pursue an associate’s degree, is now back at the college to pursue a bachelor’s degree. He got involved in semiconductor workforce training through a Samsung program that put him on a path to the associate’s degree at ACC after he graduated high school.
He said ACC’s and UT’s investment in semiconductor training is helping him “tremendously.” Pursuing this career path, he said, has opened his curiosity and potential.
“It’s changed my life drastically, not only a career change, but also a mental change,” Adame said. “Being in the semiconductor field … there’s just endless possibilities of learning.”
US-based robotics company Apptronik has opened a newly expanded robot training centre in Austin, Texas, and launched Apollo 2, its latest humanoid robot, as part of efforts to advance real-world robot deployment.
Developed in collaboration with Google DeepMind, the Austin facility provides space for large-scale data collection and training of humanoid robots. This development is part of Apptronik’s strategy to move robots beyond pilot projects and into commercial production.
Apollo 2, made public at the opening of the facility, is available in both bipedal and wheeled-base designs.
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According to Apptronik, this modularity enables data collection and training of robots in a range of environments, including logistics, manufacturing, and retail.
By deploying operational fleets of Apollo 2 robots at the Austin site and at customer and partner locations globally, the company is increasing the diversity and volume of data used to train robotics models.
The data collected is intended to support the advancement of Gemini Robotics, the foundational AI models for robotics being developed by Google DeepMind.
Through a mixture of teleoperation and autonomous operation, Apollo 2 robots gather data across customer sites, including at Apptronik’s research partner Google DeepMind, and at customers such as Mercedes-Benz and GXO.
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Apptronik CEO and co-founder Jeff Cardenas said: “What we’re building is a continuous learning loop with the Google DeepMind Robotics team: robots working, collecting data, and improving with every cycle, in real environments, on real tasks.
“Robot Park enables the data collection that is fuel for that, and Apollo 2 is the machine that makes it possible. That’s how you move from early prototypes to real, deployable humanoid robots.”
Apptronik’s approach combines teleoperation, autonomous execution, and high-fidelity physics simulations. This allows its robots to learn from varied experiences and adapt as advances are made in the field of embodied AI.
Apptronik chief commercial officer Barry Phillips said: “By developing Apollo as a modular platform, we’re able to deploy the same core humanoid technology across different configurations, including wheeled robots that align with current industrial safety standards, and bipedal robots for maximum adaptability.
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“This approach helps us build better robots for customers today while laying the groundwork for broad adoption of humanoid systems in the future.”
The company has stated that data and experience from Apollo 2 will inform the development of its next-generation humanoid robot, Apollo 3.
The Austin facility anchors a growing network of Apptronik Robot Parks at partner and customer sites worldwide, with plans for expansion into additional cities.
Earlier this year, Apptronik raised $520m in a Series A–X round, backed by existing investors such as B Capital, Google, Mercedes-Benz and PEAK6, alongside new participants including AT&T Ventures, John Deere and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). Prior to this, in March 2025, Apptronik completed its Series A funding round, securing $403m.
“Apptronik opens robot training hub in Austin, Texas and debuts Apollo 2” was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand.
AUSTIN, Texas – Three fugitives who were on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list were arrested in three separate operations throughout the state.
The arrests involve local agencies from Hidalgo, Plano and Houston, as well as state and federal law enforcement agencies, according to DPS officials.
3 Texas Most Wanted Sex Offenders Captured
Local perspective:
53-year-old Leroy Lewis Jr. was arrested June 22 at a residence in south Houston.
Leroy Lewis Jr. (Texas DPS)
DPS special agents assigned to the Texas Anti-Gang Center worked with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Houston Police Department and the Texas attorney general’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit to locate and arrest him.
Lewis had been wanted since March on a Harris County warrant charging him with failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
According to DPS, Lewis was convicted in the 1990s of murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping. Authorities said the kidnapping involved a 20-year-old woman whom Lewis intended to sexually abuse. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison, paroled in 2012 and required to register as a sex offender.
Tip leads to capture of Plano fugitive
Dig deeper:
64-year-old Kenneth Wayne Patterson was arrested on June 24 at a Plano apartment complex after investigators followed up on a tip.
Kenneth Wayne Patterson (Texas DPS)
DPS special agents, Plano police officers and members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force made the arrest. Patterson had been wanted since December 2025 on a Dallas County warrant alleging failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
Patterson was convicted in Dallas County in 1989 of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl and sentenced to eight years in prison, according to DPS. Authorities said he has a history of failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
Hidalgo border arrest
What’s next:
32-year-old Eduardo Quinones Fuentes was arrested on June 22 at the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge, after U.S. authorities took him into custody upon his return from Mexico.
Eduardo Quinones Fuentes (Texas DPS)
DPS identified Fuentes as a documented Tango Valluco gang member who had absconded to Mexico. Fuentes had been wanted since October 2025 on parole violation and obstruction warrants. A Hidalgo County warrant charging him with failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements was issued in November 2025.
Since 2016, Fuentes has been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, sexual assault, assault, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and human smuggling, according to DPS.
Rewards and 2026 Arrest Stats
What they’re saying:
DPS said 44 fugitives on its 10 Most Wanted lists have been arrested so far this year, including 32 sex offenders and eight documented gang members. The agency said $61,500 in Crime Stoppers rewards has been paid in connection with those arrests.
Texas Crime Stoppers offers rewards for information leading to the arrest of fugitives on the state’s 10 Most Wanted lists.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Austin, TX
Home Automation Austin Brings Personalized, Full-Service Home Automation to Homeowners in Austin
A Smart Home Partner for Every Stage of the Project
AUSTIN, Texas, June 30, 2026 (Newswire.com)
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Home Automation Austin, a premier smart home installation company, is helping homeowners rethink the way they live by delivering customized home automation in Austin that unites lighting, audio, video, climate and security into a single, easy-to-use system.
For more than 18 years, the company has designed and installed integrated technology systems that let clients control their homes from any networked device, whether they are across the room or across the globe. From whole-house audio and video distribution to motorized shades, energy management and home theaters, Home Automation Austin builds each system around a client’s lifestyle rather than a one-size-fits-all template. A typical installation lets homeowners dim individual lights, monitor security cameras, adjust the thermostat and stream music to outdoor speakers, all from a single app.
Demand for home automation in Austin continues to climb as new construction and remodeling projects across Central Texas increasingly include smart technology. The company works directly with homeowners, builders and designers from the earliest planning stages, holding project kickoff meetings to keep systems on time and on budget.
“Home automation in Austin has moved from a luxury to an expectation, and our clients want technology that simply works without a learning curve,” said Adam Besetzny, CEO of Home Automation Austin. “We design every system around the way a family actually lives, so controlling lights, music, climate and security feels effortless from day one.”
Unlike many providers that rely on subcontractors, Home Automation Austin employs its own technicians and designers, a distinction the company says ensures accountability and consistent quality. The firm is a certified dealer and integrator for respected brands including Control4, Crestron, Lutron, Savant, Sonos and Sonance, and it backs its work with what it calls the best warranty in the industry.
The company also emphasizes long-term support, a point of difference in an industry where service often ends once installation is complete. Home Automation Austin offers 24/7 service and support plans, keeping clients connected long after the final device is mounted.
“Most companies disappear the moment the job is finished, but that is when the relationship should really begin,” Besetzny said. “We stay involved, we answer the phone and we make sure the technology keeps performing for years, not just on installation day.”
Home Automation Austin serves Austin and surrounding communities, including Georgetown, Leander, Lakeway, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Dripping Springs and San Marcos. The company is fully licensed and insured and holds a Google five-star rating along with multiple industry credentials.
Homeowners interested in home automation in Austin can schedule a design consultation by calling 512-515-3456 or visiting https://homeautomationaustin.com/.
About Home Automation Austin
Home Automation Austin is a premier smart home installation company in Austin, TX, specializing in design, installation, and support of advanced home automation, audio and video, and lighting control systems. With more than 18 years of experience and partnerships with top-tier brands, the company delivers personalized solutions that combine innovation, performance, and long-term reliability.
Media Contact:
Adam Besetzny, CEO
512-851-6474
adamb@capitoltechnologygroup.com
SOURCE: Home Automation Austin
Source: Home Automation Austin
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