India’s Semiconductor Vision Gathers Momentum with 3nm Chip Design and Large-Scale Talent Development Initiatives

· Government Pushes for End-to-End Chip Ecosystem with Talent and Industry Support

· Enhancing domestic capabilities in critical technologies, creating high-value jobs, enabling indigenous digital infrastructure, and positioning India as a trusted global partner in semiconductors

India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem: Talent & Policy-Driven Growth

India’s Strength in Chip Design

· India is home to ~20% of the world’s chip design engineers.

· A 3nm chip designed in India was recently unveiled — a milestone showcasing global-level design capabilities.

Talent Development Initiatives

· AICTE curriculum launched for:

o VLSI Design & Technology

o Integrated Circuit (IC) Manufacturing

· Goal: Train 85,000+ skilled personnel in chip design.

· So far, 45,000+ students from 100 institutions have enrolled.

· SMART Lab at NIELIT Calicut:

o National training initiative for 1 lakh engineers

o 44,000+ engineers trained already.

· Industry–Academia partnerships with:

o Lam Research

o IBM

o Purdue University

Semicon India Programme

· Rs 76,000 crore outlay to boost semiconductor & display manufacturing.

· 6 semiconductor fabs and 22 Design-Linked Incentive (DLI) projects approved.

· 72 companies provided infrastructure:

o Access to EDA tools (Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens)

o FPGA boards, post-silicon validation, testing, and packaging support

Impact

· India is emerging as a global chip design hub.

· Government focus on skilling, infrastructure, and industry collaborations is fostering a robust semiconductor ecosystem.

· Global firms are expanding their R&D presence in India, tapping into the skilled talent pool.

This comprehensive approach positions India to play a leading role in the global semiconductor value chain.

[ABS News Service/26.07.2025]

India is home to nearly 20% of the world’s chip design engineers. Building on this strong talent base, the Government is facilitating the development of a complete semiconductor ecosystem in India.

Leading semiconductor companies have established chip design and research centers in India. A 3nm semiconductor chip designed in India was recently unveiled. It showcases the technical capabilities of Indian engineers and importance of Indian design centres in global semiconductor industry.

To foster talent development in the semiconductor chip design, the Government has launched several initiatives, as outlined below:

· New curriculum by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for VLSI Design & Technology, Integrated Circuit (IC) manufacturing

· Developing 85,000 skilled manpower in semiconductor design sector & providing EDA tools to design semiconductor chips

· 45,000+ students from 100 institutions enrolled so far

· Skilled Manpower Advanced Research and Training (SMART) Lab at NIELIT Calicut to train 1 lakh engineers nation-wide with 44,000+ engineers already trained

· Collaboration with industry and universities such as Lam Research, IBM and Purdue University

Leveraging the country's large talent pool, global semiconductor design companies are now rapidly expanding their workforce in India to design cutting-edge chips.

Other initiatives undertaken by Government to promote semiconductor ecosystem:

Semicon India programme

· Approved with a total outlay of Rs 76,000 crore for catalysing semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in India

· Six (6) semiconductor manufacturing and 22 design-linked incentive (DLI) projects have been approved

· 72 companies are provided chip design infrastructure such as EDA tools & FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) boards from Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, etc.

· Access to the Post Silicon Validation & Testing and Packaging Support is also being provided

This information was submitted by Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Jitin Prasada, in the Lok Sabha on 25 July, 2025.