Saturday, March 7, 2026: India is rapidly closing in on its ambitious decade-long target to train 85,000 semiconductor engineers, achieving significant milestones in just four years. Under the Chips to Startups (C2S) initiative, the government is successfully building a robust talent pipeline to fuel the nation’s burgeoning chip ecosystem.
Union Minister for Electronics & IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, confirmed that 315 academic institutions across India,spanning from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, are now equipped with world-class Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools. These tools, provided by global giants like Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens, have already clocked over 1.85 crore usage hours, making it the world’s largest open-access EDA program.
India Accelerates Semicon Mission 2.0
Highlighting global industry requirements, Shri Vaishnaw said that as the semiconductor industry grows from the current size of USD 800–900 billion to USD 2 trillion, there will be a demand for nearly 2 million skilled professionals. This presents massive employment opportunities for India’s youth.
As the global semiconductor market is projected to skyrocket from $800 billion to $2 trillion, the demand for skilled professionals is expected to hit 2 million worldwide. To capture this opportunity, the government is scaling its efforts. Under the newly announced India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0, the training program will expand from 315 to 500 academic institutions.
This expansion ensures that students nationwide gain hands-on experience in:
- Semiconductor Design: Utilizing industry-standard EDA software.
- Fabrication & Testing: Real-world chip prototyping at the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali.
- Packaging: Mastering the final stages of chip production.
Minister Vaishnaw emphasized that this initiative is not just about education but about establishing India as a self-reliant global semiconductor hub. By integrating curriculum with practical fabrication experience, India is preparing its youth for high-value employment in a critical technology sector.
