The second Semicon India FutureDESIGN Roadshow was launched today at IISc in Bengaluru by Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, with the goal of enticing startups, next-generation innovators, and business leaders to invest in the semiconductor sector in India.
Addressing at the event, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar noted that India is expanding quickly in global electronics value chains and that the New World Order of Semiconductor and Electronics has prospects due to the rapid rise of digitalization and India’s high-growth digital and innovation economy.
He discussed three patterns that are currently apparent: “First, digitalization has accelerated, and governments all across the world are digitizing quickly. Second, we are at a turning point, and third, New India is emerging as a reliable partner for the delivery of talent, international goods, digital goods, and services.
Semicon India FutureDESIGN is one such chance, the prime minister said, reiterating that he is working tirelessly to increase prospects for young Indians.
The India Semiconductor Research Centre (ISRC), which will be a private, industry-led research center, will soon be launched, according to Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who also outlined some of the initiatives the Government has taken to support the semiconductor innovation ecosystem in India. The Semiconductor Laboratory is also being modernized, pivoting into a research fab, and will be co-located with the ISRC.
A curriculum would also be implemented by the government as part of the Future Skills program, he added. It was created in cooperation with academics and industry specialists. Several colleges will offer new certification programs, electives, and degrees in VLSI. We are actively collaborating with fab firms to develop internships that provide students with on-the-job training in the semiconductor industry, the speaker emphasized.
The Minister also announced the opening of the ChipIN Centre at C-DAC India in Bangalore, which would serve as a one-stop shop for giving Fabless Chip Designers in the nation access to semiconductor design tools, fab access, and virtual prototyping hardware labs. Also, he stated that the India AI Datasets program would soon be launched. He continued, “It will be the largest datasets program in the world, which will in turn catalyze the ecosystem of intelligent computing, AI computing, devices, and system design.”
He said that the strength of SemiconIndia FutureDESIGN Startups can help Global Semicon majors increase their capacity to develop beyond the typical innovation horizon when discussing the possibility for collaboration between Indian startups and Global semiconductor majors.
In relation to the DIR-V (Digital India RISC-V Microprocessor Program), which will aid in the development, siliconization, and creation of design wins for the future around the SHAKTI and VEGA RISC-V Processors and commercial grade Indian Processors this year, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar outlined India’s goals. He declared, “We are developing a thorough architecture around RISC-V and seek to make India a RISC-V Talent hub for the world.
The initial group of startups chosen for the Semicon India Future Design DLI scheme was unveiled by Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The startups include DV2JS Innovation Ltd., Fermionic Design Pvt. Ltd., and Vervesemi Microelectronics Pvt. Ltd. The CEOs of these businesses interacted with a number of influential business figures, including Mr. Anand Ramamoorthy, MD, Micron Technology India, and Dr. Sailesh Chittipeddi, President, GM, and Board member of Renesas Electronics.
Over a five-year period, the Scheme seeks to provide financial incentives as well as design infrastructure support for semiconductor design(s) for Integrated Circuits (ICs), Chipsets, System on Chips (SoC), Systems & IP Cores, and semiconductor linked design(s).
At Karnavati University in Gujarat, the first event in this series took place last year.
