Over One Lakh Enrol In India’s Chip Design Training Programme: Government

Over one lakh individuals have enrolled in India’s chip design training programmes, with around 67,000 already trained so far, according to the government. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is driving the initiative to strengthen India’s semiconductor design capabilities.

The programme aims to make India self-reliant in chip design, a sector that plays a critical role in modern electronics, green energy, defence, and emerging technologies.

The government stated that more than one lakh individuals have enrolled in chip design training, with approximately 67,000 having completed training to date.

At the centre of this effort is the Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme, launched in 2022 with a total outlay of Rs 250 crore.

The programme spans nearly 400 organisations across the country, including 305 academic institutions and 95 start-ups.

Its objective is to train large numbers of students, researchers, and engineers in chip design and related areas, while also supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in the semiconductor ecosystem.

So far, students and participating institutions have filed more than 75 patents and are developing over 500 intellectual property cores, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and System-on-Chip (SoC) designs.

These developments cater to sectors such as telecom, automotive, defence, and consumer electronics.

The C2S Programme also focuses on start-up incubation, technology transfer, and research publications to produce industry-ready professionals across B Tech, M Tech, and PhD levels.

Multi-Level Academic Training

B Tech students are being trained through VLSI-focused coursework, while PhD scholars are engaged in advanced chip design research. The programme enables MTech graduates to specialise in VLSI, embedded systems, and allied domains.

According to MeitY, the large-scale nature of the programme not only strengthens India’s semiconductor talent pool but also enhances domestic technological capabilities and supports the country’s ambition to be globally competitive in chip design.

By bringing together academic institutions, start-ups, research organisations, and industry partners, the government aims to create a robust ecosystem that combines innovation, hands-on learning, and research.

The initiative comes at a time when global semiconductor demand is rising sharply, and India is seeking to reduce its reliance on imports, particularly in high-technology and defence-related areas.