Background and strategic context
  • Semiconductors have become a strategic foundation for economic growth, technological leadership, and national security.
  • Global demand for advanced electronics, AI systems, and digital infrastructure is rising rapidly.
  • The global semiconductor industry is projected to reach nearly USD 1 trillion by 2030.
  • At the same time, the global ecosystem faces a shortage of skilled semiconductor professionals, with a requirement of over 1 million additional experts by 2032.
  • This situation places India in a critical position to contribute skilled manpower and indigenous innovation to the global semiconductor value chain.

INDIA’S POLICY RESPONSE

  • Recognising chip design as a national strategic priority, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has launched multiple initiatives to strengthen India’s semiconductor ecosystem.
  • These initiatives focus on:
    • Talent creation
    • Indigenous design capability
    • Academic–industry collaboration
  • Nearly 400 organisations are covered under these efforts, including:
    • 305 academic institutions under the Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programe
    • 95 startups supported under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme

WHAT IS THE CHIPS TO STARTUP PROGRAM?

  • C2S is a national capacity-building programme launched in 2022
  • Implemented by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
  • Total outlay: ₹250 crore (5 years)
  • Goal:
    • Build industry-ready chip designers
    • Promote indigenous chip design
    • Support self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat)

CORE OBJECTIVES OF C2S

  • Train 85,000+ skilled professionals
  • Enable hands-on chip design & fabrication
  • Encourage:
    • Start-ups
    • Patents
    • IP core development
  • Reduce dependence on imported chip technologies

WHO IS BEING TRAINED?

  • PhD scholars: 200 (advanced chip research)
  • Tech (VLSI / Embedded): 7,000
  • Tech (ECE / CS with VLSI focus): 8,800
  • Tech students: 69,000
  • Total trained / enrolled so far:
    • 1 lakh enrolled
    • ~67,000 already trained Scale of Participation
  • Around 400 organisations involved
    • 305 academic institutions (under C2S)
    • 95 startups (linked with DLI Scheme)
  • Open to students across India, regardless of location

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS?

  • Combines:
    • Classroom learning
    • Short-term courses
    • Labs & projects
  • Strong focus on hands-on experience
  • Students work on:
    • ASICs
    • SoCs
    • IP cores
  • Uses real industry tools and foundries
CHIPS TO STARTUP PROGRAM explained for UPSC

ROLE OF CHIP IN CENTRE (C-DAC BENGALURU)

  • Operated by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
  • Acts as national hub for chip design
  • Supports 300+ institutions
  • Provides:
    • Advanced EDA tools
    • Compute infrastructure
    • IP libraries
    • Technical mentoring

KEY FUNCTIONS

  • Collects student chip designs
  • Verifies and improves designs
  • Sends designs for fabrication every 3 months
  • Has resolved 4,800+ technical support requests

FABRICATION SUPPORT-SCL MOHALI

  • Fabrication done at Semi-Conductor Laboratory
  • Uses 180 nm technology
  • Process:
    • Multiple student designs combined on a shared wafer
    • Chips are fabricated, packaged and returned
  • Result:
    • Students see their designs on real silicon

INFRASTRUCTURE & COMPUTING TOOLS & LABS

Provided
  • SMART Labs (NIELIT)
  • FPGA boards (centralised & distributed)
  • PARAM Utkarsh supercomputer

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR

  • 1 lakh users used national EDA infrastructure
  • 175 lakh+ hours of tool usage
  • 6 shared wafer runs completed
  • 122 chip designs submitted from 46 institutions
  • 56 student chips successfully fabricated & delivered
  • 265+ industry-led training sessions
  • 75+ patents filed
  • 500+ IP cores, ASICs & SoCs under development

STARTUPS RESEARCH & INNOVATION

  • Programme aims to:
    • Incubate 25 start-ups
    • Enable 10 technology transfers
  • Supports:
    • Defence
    • Telecom
    • Automotive
    • Consumer electronics
    • Industrial applications
CHIPS TO STARTUP PROGRAM explained for UPSC

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK BEHIND C2S

Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY)
  • Policy direction
  • Funding & oversight
  • Industry coordination
C-DAC & ChipIN Centre
  • Design tools & mentoring
  • Verification & fabrication coordination
SCL Mohali
  • Fabrication & packaging
  • Real silicon exposure for students
Why C2S is Important for India
  • Builds domestic chip design capability
  • Strengthens academia–industry link
  • Creates job-ready semiconductor talent
  • Supports Make in India & Atmanirbhar Bharat
  • Positions India as a credible global chip design hub

CONCLUSION

  • Chip design is the highest-value part of the semiconductor chain
  • The C2S Programme is creating:
    • Skilled manpower
    • Indigenous IP
    • Startup innovation
  • By combining training, tools and fabrication, India is laying a strong foundation for semiconductor leadership