How Oregon State is building the future of semiconductor talent

Oregon State is building the first intercollegiate overclocking league — and it starts here

Oregon State University's Overclocking Club ranks in the top 0.5% of competitors worldwide. Now, with support from Intel, OSU is transforming that position into something the entire industry will monitor: the first intercollegiate overclocking league in the nation.

The league is created to provide universities with a clear route into extreme performance engineering, one of the most challenging and hands-on fields in hardware and semiconductor development. At least a dozen schools are already participating or showing interest, with a national championship planned for summer 2027.

The partnership with Intel stemmed directly from Oregon's dense tech scene. A chance meeting between club adviser Josh Gess and Intel engineers resulted in a campus visit, a long-term sponsorship, and now a national initiative. As Gess explained: "This is the Silicon Forest. We are surrounded by industry."

For TAO members in semiconductors, data centers, and hardware, this is a valuable workforce pipeline to know about. Students in the program work with chips under cryogenic conditions, applying thermal, electrical, and software fundamentals that directly prepare them for industry from day one.

Read the full story from OSU's College of Engineering: Pushing the limits: Overclocking Club leads a new era of collegiate competition

TAO members can also take advantage of our OSU tuition benefit partnership, which provides employees and their spouses with a 15% tuition scholarship across OSU's online programs. Learn more about TAO membership benefits.