New Delhi— Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Tuesday inaugurated two cutting-edge chip design centers by Renesas Electronics India in Noida and Bengaluru, marking a major milestone for India’s semiconductor ecosystem. These facilities will focus on developing advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) chip designs—placing India at the forefront of next-generation semiconductor innovation.
“Designing at 3nm is truly next-generation,” Vaishnaw said during the inauguration. “We’ve previously succeeded at 7nm and 5nm, but this marks a new frontier. With this, India joins the global league of semiconductor innovation.”
The minister highlighted India’s comprehensive semiconductor strategy, which spans design, fabrication, ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging), as well as the supporting infrastructure for equipment, chemicals, and gases. He also noted growing international confidence in India’s potential, citing enthusiasm from global investors at forums like Davos. Companies such as Applied Materials and Lam Research have already committed significant investments.
Vaishnaw called the launch of the Noida design center a pivotal development in building a truly pan-India semiconductor ecosystem. “In just three years, India has progressed from having a nascent semiconductor sector to becoming an emerging global hub. We are now on the path to long-term, sustainable growth.”
He added that the rising domestic manufacturing of smartphones, laptops, servers, medical devices, defense equipment, and automobiles will drive an exponential increase in semiconductor demand. “This momentum in semiconductor development couldn’t be more timely.”
As part of the event, the minister also introduced a new semiconductor learning kit aimed at enhancing practical, hands-on hardware training for engineering students. Over 270 academic institutions that have already received advanced Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software tools under the India Semiconductor Mission will now also receive these hardware kits.
“This integration of software and hardware learning will ensure that we’re not just building infrastructure but preparing truly industry-ready engineers,” Vaishnaw said.
Hidetoshi Shibata, CEO and Managing Director of Renesas Electronics, emphasized India’s growing strategic importance to the company. He underscored Renesas’ commitment to expanding end-to-end semiconductor capabilities in India—from architecture to testing—while also supporting more than 250 academic institutions and a broad range of startups through collaborative, government-supported initiatives. (Source: IANS)
