India Advances Toward Training 85,000 Semiconductor Engineers Under Chips to Startups (C2S) Programme

New Delhi: India has made significant progress toward its target of training 85,000 semiconductor engineers under the Chips to Startups (C2S) initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday.

According to a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau, the government’s initiative focuses on talent development, training, up-skilling and workforce development to strengthen the country’s semiconductor ecosystem.

Minister said that world-class Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools supported by companies such as Synopsys, Cadence Design Systems, Siemens, Renesas Electronics, Ansys and AMD have been made available in 315 academic institutions across the country.

With the help of these tools, students are gaining practical experience in semiconductor chip design. The chips designed by students are being fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory in Mohali, enabling hands-on exposure to the entire process from design to fabrication, packaging and testing.

The programme has developed into what officials describe as the world’s largest open-access EDA programme, recording over 1.85 crore hours of EDA tool usage for chip design training so far.

Vaishnaw said students from institutions across the country are actively engaging in semiconductor design, calling it an important step toward strengthening India’s technological capabilities and self-reliance.

The minister said the semiconductor industry is expected to grow from around USD 800–900 billion to nearly USD 2 trillion, which could create demand for about two million skilled professionals worldwide.

He also announced that under India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, the programme will be expanded from 315 to 500 academic institutions across the country.

The expansion is aimed at building a larger pool of trained talent in semiconductor design, fabrication, packaging and testing across India.

Vaishnaw reiterated that the government remains committed to developing a strong and self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem through talent development, infrastructure creation and industry collaboration under the India Semiconductor Mission.