MDM2 at the Forefront: How the Smart MedTech Conference Empowers the Future of Healthcare & Electronics

In April, the Medical Device Manufacturing Multiplier (MDM2) consortium co-hosted a milestone event, a three-day workshop and conference in Phoenix titled Shaping the Future of Advancing Electronics and Medical Technologies. Nearly 200 industry and academic leaders participated in the event, co-hosted with SEMI Smart MedTech Industry Group, one of the world’s top semiconductor industry organizations. MDM2 partnered with other regional leaders to promote the diverse, innovative ecosystem of smart medical device development in the Grand Canyon State.

MDM2 collaborated with SEMI to highlight Arizona’s unique advantage: a robust semiconductor ecosystem that intersects naturally with MedTech. This convergence supports the development of critical infrastructure, from talent pipelines, supply chains and manufacturing facilities. Arizona is home to 75+ semiconductor companies, including Amkor Technology, EMD Electronics, Intel, ON Semiconductor (ONSEMI) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC).  Federal initiatives including the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs Program and CHIPS and Science Act provide ongoing support to MedTech development, with chip and sensor integration and artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities.

The conference supported cornerstone pillars of MDM2’s mission to grow the leading community of MedTech innovation in Arizona. These pillars include:

1. Lab to Market: Innovation in Action

2. Workforce Development: Building Tomorrow’s Talent

3. Venture Development: Fueling the Next Generation of MedTech Companies
   

MDM2 is committed to accelerating innovation at the intersection of semiconductors and MedTech. Arizona’s latest smart MedTech conference is just one of the latest ways MDM2 is supporting the MedTech community.

Event Overview: A First-of-Its-Kind Convergence

The smart MedTech conference from April 22-24, 2025, took place at Arizona State University’s (ASU) Futures Health Center, kicking off with an exclusive tour of Medtronic to cover advanced operations in designing and manufacturing microelectronics for implantable medical devices. Diverse workshops took place at venues throughout the Valley, including:

• Mayo Clinic, where attendees had the opportunity to tour the Mayo Clinic Lab for function

• Phoenix Bioscience Core, where attendees could take guided tours and see a presentation on “Bridging Clinical Needs and Emerging Technology: Emerging Device-Based Health Intervention Platforms: Wearables, Robotics and BioHybrids

• Venture Café, held at Phoenix Bioscience Core, where community networking opportunities took place
  

In addition to our partnership with SEMI, we organized workshops in collaboration with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), Partnership for Economic Innovation, Phoenix Bioscience Core, ASU and other leaders in the MedTech space in Arizona. Topics covered included key MedTech technologies, such as hybrid electronics for medical applications, flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and bio-signal sensing for cognitive and physical state monitoring. 

Key Themes Through the Lens of MDM2’s Strategic Pillars

Throughout the conference and workshops, MDM2 promoted our strategic pillars that unify the consortium’s participants with a shared vision and mission. These include the following.

Lab to Market: Innovation in Action

As part of our Lab to Market initiative, SEMI lead discussions and workshops addressing the current innovation to action marketplace. SEMI hosted a technical gap analysis workshop on FHE that supported upcoming research and development (R&D) Request for Proposals (RFP). Speakers from ACI Materials, Inc., Cornell University and GE Aerospace addressed challenges, gaps and innovation priorities, with attendees participating in breakout sessions.

Another workshop, the Nano-Bio Materials Consortium (NBMC) Technical Gap Analysis Workshop, featured speakers from BlueHalo, DermiSense, GE HealthCare, SEMI and the University of California. This array of academic, government and industry experts discussed technical gaps to prepare for the next NBMC RFP.

The conference and workshops also covered emerging applications in wearables, implantables and digital health platforms. 

“Over the last 10 years, we have seen smart implantables and wearables work their way too slowly into the practice of medicine,” said Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon Dr. Jonathon Parker, a member of MDM2 and SEMI Smart MedTech Industry Group. “Greater Phoenix’s wide breadth of know-how in semiconductors, device manufacturing and development, and clinical enterprises can catalyze more rapid growth and bring together industry, engineers, clinicians and capital, which will help the region build the strongest MedTech ecosystem in the United States.”

Workforce Development: Building Tomorrow’s Talent

The growth of semiconductor technology and its important role in MedTech brings about some very important discussions around workforce development. To help ensure the industry has the skilled talent to support MedTech’s expanding growth, the conference also promoted our Workforce Development mission, connecting developing professionals in the MedTech space with industry leaders and academics to promote education and training related to medical technology. Each day of the conference concluded with a reception that allowed attendees, speakers, educators and professionals to network.

MDM2’s ongoing collaboration with Maricopa Community Colleges, ASU and other industry, education and community leaders is essential to building a talent-ready workforce to support the economic growth in MedTech. Bridging the gap between education and industry by developing curriculums, work-based experience, internship opportunities and industry-promoted certifications will help develop a more robust talent pool. 

Venture Development: Fueling the Next Generation of MedTech Companies

Supporting the current wave of MedTech and semiconductor companies is important. Equally important is setting the foundation for future industry growth, by ensuring venture capital funding is obtainable for near-market and future companies and organizations.

“In just the past few years, the Greater Phoenix MedTech ecosystem has made remarkable progress, from innovative medical device startups, to the launch of a healthcare- and life sciences-exclusive venture fund,” said Yoo and Co. Accelerators CEO Chris Yoo, MDM2 Regional Innovation Officer. “It’s time to double down on the investments made in the clinical expertise of our healthcare partners, the next-generation capabilities of cutting-edge biomaterials and the precision and scale of microfabrication from our local semiconductor industry to build upon the strengths of the semiconductor industry and propel the translation of clinical research into real-world advancements.”

At the conference, several Arizona-based MedTech experts from the healthcare and medical device ecosystem talked about topics such as medical device technology manufacturing investments, advancements in digital health data, clinical research developments and how implantables and wearables improve care. This information helped illustrate the need for venture development in the MedTech space to continue to accelerate innovation and growth in the industry.

Place-Based Innovation: Why Greater Phoenix?

The Greater Phoenix area continues to be a hotbed for advanced semiconductor manufacturing and innovation. It’s important to not only be close to the current leaders in semiconductor manufacturing, but also the thought leaders who are driving future innovation in semiconductor technology and MedTech, like Phoenix Bioscience Core. MDM2 prioritized this region based on strategic access to semiconductor supply chains and proximity to advanced research and development.

This 2025 Shaping the Future of Advancing Electronics and Medical Technologies conference symbolizes the great potential the Valley has to continue to be a leader in the MedTech space in Arizona and beyond. We believe this landmark event will spur others like it in the future, to continue to develop the community and inspire innovation and workforce development in healthcare innovation and technology convergence.

Learn more about MDM2’s mission at MDM2.org.