Sep 22: India’s semiconductor ambitions are beginning to take shape not only in new factories and large investments, but also in classrooms, laboratories and startups where the next generation of chips is being designed.
More than one lakh engineers from over 500 organisations have now gained access to the ChipIN Centre’s semiconductor design infrastructure. The network includes around 400 academic institutions and 100 startups, giving a much wider group of young engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs an opportunity to work with advanced chip-design technologies.
The ChipIN Centre, established at C-DAC Bengaluru under the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme and Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme, acts as a shared national facility for chip design, fabrication support, specialised training and access to electronic design automation tools.
For many institutions and young companies, this shared infrastructure matters because developing a semiconductor chip requires expensive software, computing resources, technical expertise and access to fabrication facilities. By bringing several of these resources together, the centre can make it easier for new ideas to move from the drawing board towards an actual chip.
From learning about chips to designing them
The growing participation is also reflected in the number of projects emerging from the ecosystem.
Organisations connected with the ChipIN Centre have collectively developed more than 300 chip designs, with designs being prepared for fabrication at the Semiconductor Laboratory in Mohali and advanced foundries overseas. The platform has also recorded more than four crore hours of chip-design tool usage.
For an engineering student, this can mean something much more valuable than learning semiconductor theory from a textbook. It can provide an opportunity to work with professional design tools and understand how an idea eventually becomes a physical piece of silicon.
For a startup, access to such infrastructure can reduce some of the early barriers involved in developing a chip and testing whether an idea can become a viable product.
Why semiconductor talent matters for India
Building a semiconductor industry is not simply about setting up fabrication plants. Behind every chip is a long chain of specialised skills covering design, verification, manufacturing, testing, packaging, materials and equipment.
India is therefore putting increasing emphasis on creating a workforce that can support the entire semiconductor value chain.
Government data shows that more than one lakh engineers have been trained under various semiconductor talent-development initiatives, while around 68,000 people have been trained specifically in chip design under the C2S programme.
The focus is particularly important as India’s semiconductor ecosystem expands into areas such as artificial intelligence, automobiles, telecommunications, consumer electronics, industrial technology and advanced computing.
Startups get a wider technology runway
The growing semiconductor ecosystem could also create more opportunities for Indian startups.
A young company developing a specialised chip for an electric vehicle, an IoT device, industrial equipment or a communications system may not have the resources to build a complete chip-design environment on its own.
Shared facilities can help bridge part of that gap.
The DLI programme has already supported chip-design projects covering areas such as microprocessors, satellite communications, broadband, energy meters, drone detection, video surveillance and IoT systems.
This connection between startups, universities and national infrastructure could become increasingly important as India tries to develop more semiconductor intellectual property and technology products within the country.
From talent to jobs and businesses
The semiconductor push is also creating a broader economic opportunity.
As chip-design companies, manufacturing facilities, testing and packaging units and component suppliers expand, demand can grow for engineers and technicians with specialised knowledge.
The government’s Semicon 2.0 programme is targeting further expansion across chip design, equipment and materials, fabrication, advanced packaging, research and development and talent. Around Rs 1 lakh crore in investment commitments have been reported under the programme, with close to one lakh new employment opportunities expected across the wider semiconductor ecosystem.
That means the semiconductor story could extend well beyond chip factories. It can create opportunities for engineering graduates, specialised training institutions, technology startups, suppliers and businesses supporting the manufacturing chain.
Building an ecosystem, not just an industry
India’s semiconductor journey is entering a stage where different parts of the ecosystem need to grow together.
A factory needs skilled people. Designers need access to tools and fabrication facilities. Startups need funding and customers. Research institutions need industry connections. Manufacturers need reliable suppliers of equipment, materials and components.
The expansion of ChipIN Centre is helping strengthen one of those important links: access to semiconductor design capabilities.
It also reflects a broader shift in India’s technology ambitions. Instead of depending mainly on imported technology, the country is trying to build more of the knowledge, skills and intellectual property needed to participate across the semiconductor value chain.
The human side of India’s chip ambition
For all the talk around billions of rupees in investment and new semiconductor facilities, the industry’s long-term strength will ultimately depend on people.
Every chip begins with an idea—often from an engineer, researcher or student trying to solve a particular problem. Giving more people access to the tools needed to develop those ideas can widen the pool from which India’s next semiconductor innovations emerge.