The Government of India is making significant strides in empowering the semiconductor design community through the ChipIN Centre, a state-of-the-art facility established at C-DAC Trivandrum.
This initiative, part of the broader “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-Reliant India) mission, aims to build a sustainable and innovative semiconductor ecosystem within the country, making India a key player in the global technology landscape.
The ChipIN Centre is one of India’s largest and most advanced semiconductor design facilities. It provides comprehensive solutions across the chip design lifecycle, from design to validation, with tools for advanced semiconductor nodes down to 5 nm. This capability is crucial for developing next-generation semiconductors for technologies ranging from consumer electronics to industrial applications.
The ChipIN Centre provides compute and hardware infrastructure, along with IP cores, enabling designers to prototype, validate, and fabricate semiconductor designs. It also offers critical services, including collaboration with the SCL foundry for chip manufacturing.
The centre supports academic institutions and entrepreneurs through the Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme and the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme, both of which are key initiatives by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to nurture talent and drive innovation in India’s semiconductor sector.
Under the C2S Programme, more than 20,000 students from over 250 academic institutions across India are already benefiting from access to world-class Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools. These tools enable students to design, test, and optimise semiconductor chips, providing them with hands-on experience in one of the most advanced areas of technology. The initiative aims to reach 85,000 students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degrees over the next five years.
The demand for EDA tools has been growing rapidly, especially among researchers and educators, as the need for advanced design solutions continues to rise. To meet this demand, the scope of access to these tools has been expanded from 120 colleges to over 250 institutions, thereby broadening the reach and impact of the initiative.
The inclusion of companies approved under the DLI Scheme further strengthens the ecosystem by providing them with access to critical resources for semiconductor design and development.
The ChipIN Centre provides advanced hardware and high-performance verification systems to tackle challenges in designing complex System-on-Chip (SoC) and Integrated Circuit (IC) designs. These tools enhance validation capabilities, supporting the development of sophisticated SoCs used in technologies like mobile devices and artificial intelligence systems.
One of the key features of the ChipIN Centre’s verification capabilities is its compute facility, which is powered by 128 CPU cores and offers a capacity of 640 million gates. This facility helps designers overcome challenges related to SoC validation and significantly reduces time-to-market for new chip designs.
The expansion of the ChipIN Centre and support for academic institutions are key to India’s goal of becoming a global leader in semiconductor design and manufacturing. Ms. Sunita Verma of MeitY notes that the growing demand for these tools reflects the enthusiasm of students, researchers, and entrepreneurs, making the Centre essential for India’s ambition to become a semiconductor powerhouse and advance its global technological standing.
The government’s investment in semiconductor infrastructure, including the ChipIN Centre, is key to building a self-sustaining ecosystem in India. This initiative fosters innovation and entrepreneurship, empowering the next generation of engineers and researchers to drive the country’s technological growth and position India as a global leader in electronics and technology.
The ChipIN Centre’s resources are helping India become a hub for semiconductor design and innovation. By providing essential tools, training, and support to students and entrepreneurs, it plays a key role in shaping the future of India’s semiconductor industry and advancing the country’s vision of a self-reliant, technologically advanced future.
