Centre Sanctions 23 Chip Design Projects Under DLI Scheme

The Central government has sanctioned 23 chip design projects under the Design-Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) announced on Friday.

The initiative aims to accelerate India’s semiconductor design capabilities and strengthen its self-reliance in the critical technology sector.

According to the Ministry, the projects, led by domestic startups and MSMEs, will receive support to develop indigenous chips and System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions.

These will cater to diverse applications such as surveillance cameras, energy meters, microprocessor IPs, and networking technologies.

MeitY has granted 72 companies access to industry-standard Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, enabling Indian firms to scale up their chip design initiatives and compete globally.

Vervesemi Microelectronics Takes the Lead

Among the companies sanctioned under the DLI Scheme is Vervesemi Microelectronics, a fabless semiconductor startup founded in 2017. The company has already gained international recognition as one of the first Indian firms to export semiconductor intellectual property (IP).

Leading global manufacturers have embedded its machine learning-powered analogue chain IPs in their products.

Vervesemi announced a new portfolio of advanced integrated circuits (ICs) that promise to drive India’s semiconductor self-reliance and contribute to global innovation.

These ICs are equipped with embedded machine learning, enabling self-healing systems, fail-safe reliability, and improved fabrication yields. According to the firm, the technology pushes the boundaries of performance, energy efficiency, and precision.

“These innovations mark a turning point for India’s semiconductor ecosystem,” said Rakesh Malik, Founder and CEO of Vervesemi. “By building high-performance, Made-in-India ICs for strategic and consumer markets, we are not only driving import substitution but also showcasing India’s capability to lead on the global semiconductor stage.”

Highlighting the government’s broader vision, Sunita Verma, Group Coordinator, R&D at MeitY, said, “India’s ambition is to become a world leader in semiconductor design, envisioning a future where every device in the world has a design-in-India chip.”

The DLI Scheme, alongside initiatives such as the Chips to Startup (C2S) programme, underscores India’s determination to foster a robust semiconductor ecosystem, reduce import dependence, and emerge as a global hub for innovation.

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