The Indian government has launched an ambitious initiative to empower 85,000 students with the skills to design semiconductor chips within the next five years. The program will provide direct access to the country’s national chip design infrastructure, creating a strong foundation for the semiconductor design community across India.

The ChipIN Centre, located at C-DAC, is one of the country’s largest and most advanced semiconductor design facilities. It provides a wide range of tools and workflows necessary for chip design, covering the entire design cycle, including the latest 5 nm technology. This state-of-the-art facility aims to support students and entrepreneurs in mastering semiconductor design.

According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the initiative has already engaged over 20,000 students from more than 250 academic institutions and 45 startup projects. The goal is to expand the program and provide access to Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to 85,000 students across B.Tech, M.Tech, and PhD programs within five years.

Global technology leader Siemens is also contributing to this initiative. The company has extended the scope of its EDA tools, previously available to 120 colleges, to more than 250 educational institutions across India under the Chips to Start-up (C2S) Program. Siemens has also introduced its advanced Veloce hardware-assisted verification solution to companies under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, further enhancing the country’s semiconductor capabilities.

“We have received an overwhelming demand from students, researchers, faculty members, and entrepreneurs across the country for enhanced EDA and design solutions. The extended support from Siemens at the ChipIN Centre will play a pivotal role in realizing the vision of turning India into a global semiconductor powerhouse,” said Sunita Verma, Group Coordinator (R&D in Electronics and IT), IT Ministry.

(Inputs from IANS)