Government pushes semiconductor design innovation with the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme

The Government of India has sanctioned 23 semiconductor chip-design projects under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme to strengthen the country’s chip design ecosystem and boost self-reliance. These projects, largely driven by domestic startups and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), aim to develop indigenous chips and System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions for applications such as surveillance cameras, energy meters, microprocessor IPs, and networking. In addition, 72 companies have gained access to Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to advance their projects. Among the approved firms, Vervesemi Microelectronics unveiled its roadmap of integrated circuits (ICs), targeting mass production between late 2026 and early 2027, reinforcing India’s ambition to become a global semiconductor design leader.
Founded in 2017, Vervesemi is one of India’s first companies to export semiconductor intellectual property (IP) globally, with over 110 IPs, 25 Integrated Circuit Stock Keeping Units (IC SKUs), 10 patents, and five trade secrets. Its portfolio covers defence, aerospace, industrial, and smart energy applications, with upcoming chips designed for electric vehicles, drones, space systems, weighing devices, and smart energy metering. The company emphasised the role of embedded machine learning in its ICs to deliver fault tolerance, predictive diagnostics, and self-healing capabilities, enhancing efficiency and reliability. Leaders from Vervesemi and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) described these innovations as a milestone in India’s semiconductor journey, showcasing “designed-in-India” chips as a cornerstone of the nation’s technological self-reliance and global competitiveness. 

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