Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 12: India is ramping up its push toward export-led growth in electronics by actively developing at least 25 semiconductor chipsets powered by homegrown intellectual property (IP), signaling a shift from being a service-driven economy to a product-driven powerhouse.
Union Minister for Railways and Electronics & IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced during a recent media interaction that 13 of these chip design projects are currently underway under the leadership of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Bengaluru.
“Ownership of IP is crucial—not just for technological security but for transforming India into a product nation,” said Vaishnaw. He noted that these indigenously designed chips will soon be manufactured at the upcoming domestic semiconductor fabs.
To support this ambitious vision, the government is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of the semiconductor design ecosystem across the country. This includes more than 300 institutions—comprising 250 academic bodies and 65 startups—being empowered with tools and guidance for chip design.
According to the Ministry of Electronics and IT, the move is part of a broader democratization effort to unlock chip design capabilities across India. The aim is to empower individuals with talent and passion for semiconductors—regardless of geography—echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision that “Design in India” is just as vital as “Make in India.”
Central to this initiative is the ‘Chips to Startup’ (C2S) programme, which addresses every layer of the electronics value chain. From hands-on chip design training to reusable IP repositories and the creation of application-specific systems, the programme is designed to foster innovation across startups, MSMEs, R&D institutes, and academia.
The C2S programme targets the development of 85,000 skilled professionals at BTech, MTech, and PhD levels, equipping them with real-world experience in chip design, fabrication, and testing—making them industry-ready from day one.
To bolster these efforts, a state-of-the-art ‘ChipIN Centre’ has been established at C-DAC. As one of India’s largest facilities of its kind, it brings cutting-edge chip design infrastructure directly to the doorstep of the country’s design talent.
In a further boost to the sector, February saw the launch of a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) in chip design by the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) at its Noida campus. The CoE is dedicated to meeting the rising demand for skilled professionals in the semiconductor and chip design sectors.