New Delhi [India], March 7 (ANI): Government of India's initiative for prioritizing talent development through Training, Up-skilling and Workforce Development Programs under Chips to Startups (C2S) initiative of India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, stated that India has made significant progress in last 04 years itself for its 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design.

Vaishnaw informed that world-class Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools being supported by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been made available in 315 academic institutions across the country.

With the help of these tools, students are getting practical experience on designing semiconductor chips, Ministry of Electronics and IT said in a statement.

These chips are being fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali, giving students hands-on experience across the entire process from Design to Fabrication, Packaging and Testing.

This initiative has evolved into the world's largest open-access EDA programme, with over 1.85 crore hours of EDA tool usage recorded for chip design training so far, and continuing to grow.

He further stated that today, students from academic institutions across the nation from Assam to Gujarat and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari are actively engaging in semiconductor design. This marks a significant milestone toward India's technological capability and self-reliance.

Highlighting global industry requirements, 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.

He additionally announced that under India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, the program will be expanded from 315 academic institutions to 500 academic institutions. This will help build a strong and continuous pool of trained talent in semiconductor design, fabrication, packaging and testing, across every state in the country.

Vaishnaw reiterated that the Government of India is committed to building a strong and self-reliant ecosystem in the semiconductor sector. Through talent development, infrastructure creation, and industry collaboration under India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, India aims to establish itself as a global semiconductor hub. (ANI)