The third edition of Lam Research Challenge brought together 803 teams (3212 students) from 189 colleges, including leading National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) institutions.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati emerged as the winner of the third edition of Lam Research Challenge (LRC) in 2026. The advanced semiconductor systems challenge brought together 3000 engineers and innovators from across 190 colleges in India, including top IITs and National Institutes of Technology (NITs). IIT-Ropar was declared the runner-up and NIT-Calicut came up as the second runner-up.
The finale of the three-month competition was held at PES University in Bengaluru. The finalists included 10 IITs, 2 NITs and 2 BITS campuses. During the finale, participants developed solutions to complex problems, showcasing advanced engineering execution. According to Lam Research, as the AI era accelerates demand for skilled talent in the semiconductor industry, India’s ambitions in the industry will require a new generation of talent to work across complex engineering environments, combining hardware, software, data science, process control and automation.
Winners of the competition will share the prize money of ₹10,00,000 and a select number of students will be offered internships with Lam Research, India’s leading fabricator of wafers. “Semiconductor manufacturing is one of the most sophisticated engineering environments in the world today, requiring talent capable of solving complex, systems-level challenges.” said Rangesh Raghavan, vice president and managing director of Lam Research. LRC, the company said, will help in developing a broader workforce, strengthening India’s semiconductor education.
Lam’s Semiverse Solutions has partnered with Indian Institute of Science and India Semiconductor Mission, with a goal to train 60,000 engineers in the next ten years. The company also runs a 240-hour skill development programme to provide industry-aligned training and placement support for entry-level jobs.
