New Delhi, Jan 17 : Over one lakh individuals have enrolled in Indiaâ??s chip design training programmes, with around 67,000 already trained, the government said on Saturday.

The initiative, driven by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), aims to make India self-reliant in chip design, a sector crucial for modern electronics, green energy, defence, and emerging technologies.

â??Over 1 lakh individuals have enrolled in chip design training, with approximately 67,000 trained so far,â?? the government said.

The Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme, launched in 2022 with a total outlay of Rs 250 crore, is at the centre of this drive.

The programme covers nearly 400 organisations, including 305 academic institutions and 95 startups, and seeks to train thousands of students, researchers, and engineers across India.

So far, students and institutions have filed over 75 patents and are developing more than 500 IP cores, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and System-on-Chip (SoC) designs for various sectors including telecom, automotive, defence, and consumer electronics.

The C2S Programme also supports the incubation of start-ups, technology transfers, and research publications, aiming to produce industry-ready professionals across B.Tech, M.Tech, and PhD levels.

It has trained B.Tech students through VLSI-oriented coursework and engaged PhD scholars in advanced research in chip design, while enabling M.Tech graduates to specialise in VLSI, embedded systems, and related domains.

According to MeitY, this large-scale programme not only builds Indiaâ??s human capital in semiconductors but also strengthens domestic technological capabilities and supports the countryâ??s goal of global competitiveness in chip design.

By integrating academic institutions, start-ups, research organisations, and industry partners, the government is creating a robust ecosystem where innovation, practical learning, and research go hand in hand.

This initiative comes at a critical time when global demand for semiconductors is surging, and India aims to reduce dependence on imports, particularly for high-tech and defence applications.

/IANS