Indian Economy News

Government Adopts Multi-Pronged Roadmap to Build a Robust Semiconductor Talent Pipeline Across Design, Manufacturing and Advanced Packaging

The Government of India has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to build a robust semiconductor talent pipeline under the Semicon India Programme and Semicon 2.0, strengthening capabilities across the semiconductor value chain from chip design and fabrication to assembly, testing, marking and packaging. As part of this initiative, more than 100,000 engineers have been trained through the Skilled Manpower Advanced Research and Training (SMART) Lab at NIELIT Calicut, while the Chips to Startup (C2S) programme has trained around 68,000 professionals in chip design and facilitated the tape-out of 175 chip designs from Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali. The programme has also provided engineering institutions with free access to advanced electronic design automation tools, recording more than 24 million hours of usage. In addition, the Government has introduced specialised semiconductor curricula through the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to develop industry-ready talent and strengthen India's semiconductor ecosystem.

The Government is further expanding semiconductor manufacturing skills through new training infrastructure, industry partnerships and international collaborations. A state-of-the-art Semiconductor Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) training laboratory is being established at NIELIT Guwahati, while collaboration with Lam Research aims to train 60,000 professionals in nanofabrication and process engineering over the next decade. Strategic partnerships with NASSCOM, IBM, Purdue University and Arizona State University are supporting advanced research, workforce development, faculty exchange, internships and semiconductor innovation. Reinforcing these efforts, the Union Cabinet recently approved Semicon 2.0 with an outlay of Rs. 1.27 lakh crore (US$ 13.56 billion) to strengthen research, development and talent creation for semiconductor design and manufacturing. These initiatives are expected to accelerate India's emergence as a global semiconductor hub by creating a highly skilled workforce, strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities and supporting long-term technological self-reliance.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.