India’s Semiconductor Push and IIT
Hyderabad’s Role
At the 13th convocation of IIT-Hyderabad (IIT-H) on July 19, 2025, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted India’s rapid strides in semiconductors, with six new chip manufacturing units under construction.
Key Highlights:
IIT-Hyderabad has emerged as a core talent and research hub in India’s chip design ecosystem.
Students have successfully taped out 8 semiconductor chips, marking a milestone in indigenous design.
IIT-H was granted Institute of National Eminence status, boosting its autonomy and research capacity.
India has developed a fully indigenous 4G/5G telecom stack, and the KAVACH train safety system is also being locally manufacturers
6 major semiconductor fabrication units are under construction across Gujarat and other states part of the Semicon India Program.
About National Semiconductor Mission (2021)
The National Semiconductor Mission was launched in 2021 with an outlay of ₹76,000 crore.
Its primary goal is to attract global semiconductor firms to set up manufacturing units in India.
The mission also aims to support Indian fabrication (fabs) units.
It promotes Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP) facilities.
Additionally, it supports domestic chip design firms.
This mission is key to achieving self-reliance in strategic electronics.
This focus gained urgency post-pandemic and amid the U.S.-China chip war.
PLI Scheme – Production Linked Incentives
Specific PLI schemes have been introduced for the electronics and semiconductor sectors.
These schemes incentivize local manufacturing by providing fiscal support.
This aligns with India’s broader Make in India initiative.
It also supports the Digital India strategies for achieving electronic sovereignty.
IITs as R&D Ecosystems
IIT-Hyderabad plays a central role in fostering India’s semiconductor ecosystem.
It nurtures fabless design startups, which focus solely on chip design.
The institute is crucial for training skilled chip designers.
It also hosts cleanroom laboratories, essential for semiconductor research and prototyping.
This strengthens India’s capability in the global semiconductor value chain.
Strategic Tech Sovereignty
Semiconductor chips are the fundamental backbone of modern strategic sectors.
These sectors include Artificial Intelligence (AI), defence, telecommunications, and space technology.
India’s push for indigenous 4G/5G technology is a significant step.
Development of the railway safety system KAVACH also signals this shift.
These initiatives demonstrate a clear move away from import dependence in critical technologies.
About IIT-Hyderabad (IIT-H)
IIT-Hyderabad (IIT-H) is one of India’s premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
It was established in 2008 by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
The institution is renowned for its engineering and technology education and research, consistently ranking among the top engineering institutes in India (e.g., ranked 8th in Engineering by NIRF 2024).
Such institutions play a crucial role in developing a skilled workforce for high-tech industries.
They also foster an innovation ecosystem essential for the growth of sectors like semiconductors.
Role in Semiconductor Ecosystem
IIT-H plays a central role in nurturing the semiconductor sector, particularly in fabless design.
It hosts the Fabless Chip Design Incubator (FabCI), which supports semiconductor and Intellectual Property (IP) design startups.
FabCl, launched in August 2017, is funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and provides infrastructure, software tools, and mentorship to startups
The institute is committed to training skilled chip designers through specialized academic programs.
e.g.: IIT-H offers an M.Tech in Semiconductor Materials and Devices, designed to cultivate expertise for India’s ambition to become a global hub for electronic systems and manufacturing.
It also hosts cleanroom laboratories and advanced research facilities, crucial for semiconductor research and prototyping.
Students from IIT-Hyderabad have been involved in designing semiconductor chips, with some designs successfully “taped out” for fabrication