LAUNCHING THE AI SENSOR CHALLENGE: TRAINING THE NEXT WAVE OF FOUNDERS
Every ecosystem needs a first step. For Sonora’s path into semiconductors, this is it.
The AI Sensor Design Challenge began with Aned de León from Universidad de Sonora. She saw the need to give students real, hands-on experience designing sensors using artificial intelligence — and she made it happen. She connected universities, brought in industry, and built the foundation for what this challenge is today.
We’re helping her make it happen — supporting the rollout, expanding its reach, and working alongside her to turn this effort into a model for future programs.
Sensors are where hardware meets intelligence. They’re simple enough to start with, but complex enough to teach real semiconductor skills — design, modeling, data, and AI. By combining both fields, students learn how the next generation of chips and systems actually work.
From now through February 2026, teams from universities across Sonora will train, design, and present their own sensor concepts. They’ll receive guidance from mentors in academia and industry, learning to move from simulation to validated designs.
It’s a collaboration between Universidad de Sonora, Kutsari, TE Connectivity, QSM Semiconductores, Catapult Labs, and the Clúster Automotriz de Sonora — proof that when the right people come together, progress starts to look real.
The AI Sensor Challenge is small, but it’s the right kind of small — practical, focused, and built on collaboration. It marks the moment when Sonora stopped talking about joining the semiconductor industry and started learning how.
