Students from various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have designed a total of 20 chipsets, of which eight have been "taped out"—meaning the designs have been finalized and sent for fabrication at global foundries and the Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali.

This achievement signifies substantial progress in India’s ambition to develop its domestic semiconductor ecosystem, markedly involving students and academic institutions in high-impact research and innovation.

The fabrication of these chipsets is part of a broader government push under strategic initiatives such as the India Semiconductor Mission. The government’s role has included the deployment of advanced electronic design automation (EDA) tools across 270 colleges and 70 start-ups, enabling 700 students at IIT-Hyderabad alone to utilise these resources for over 3,00,000 hours within just six months. These tools have been crucial for the hands-on learning and development of complex microelectronic designs by students.

According to IT and Electronics Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, India is on track to produce its first commercial-scale, made-in-India semiconductor chip within 2025. This chip will mark a milestone in the country’s efforts to create a full semiconductor value chain—from design and equipment manufacturing to fabrication.

As of July 2025, six semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs) have been approved or are under development in India. While the government-run SCL continues to operate at legacy technology nodes, the upcoming fabs are expected to introduce next-generation capabilities to India’s manufacturing sector.

The government has also emphasized AIKosh, its open-source artificial intelligence resources platform, which now hosts 880 datasets and over 200 models, freely accessible to students, researchers, and start-ups to further accelerate research and innovation.

Complementing these advancements, India’s electronics exports have exceeded $40 billion, representing an approximately eight-fold increase over the last 11 years, and electronics production has grown six fold with a sustained double-digit compound annual growth rate (CAGR). These developments indicate significant economic gains and the rapid maturation of India’s electronics and semiconductor sectors.

Minister Vaishnaw credits these achievements to the government’s proactive provision of design tools and open resources, stating that such initiatives are positioning India to become one of the top-5 semiconductor nations globally in the coming years.

Based In IANS Report