The state has invested around ₹21.56 crore cumulatively on the CoE and 800 employment have been created by SFAL so far.
In a recent press conference in Vikasa Soudha, Karnataka IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge highlighted how the state’s electronics and IT industry significantly contributes to India’s economy. The Semiconductor Fabless Accelerator Lab (SFAL), a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for fabless semiconductors, is a government initiative to develop the semiconductor industry. Over the past five years, it has provided benefits to over 90 companies and incubated around 43 firms.
Karnataka, India’s IT capital, is relentlessly working to become a semiconductor and electronics manufacturing leader. The government is also forming various Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) to boost the ecosystem, including one in Mysore, which will develop chip manufacturing and promote the region as a PCB cluster. According to reports, the state is furnished with scores of chip-designing firms and accounts for over 40 percent of the electronics design market in India.
Minister MB Patil, the state’s Large and Medium Industries Minister, has pledged a 20 percent subsidy for semiconductor manufacturing companies, in addition to the Central Government’s 50% subsidy. This commitment, along with the state’s cumulative investment of ₹21.56 crore in the CoE, is a testament to the government’s unwavering support for the industry. SFAL, in association with industry bodies, has already created around 800 employment opportunities in the ESDM segment.
In a strategic move, the government has partnered with the Machine Intelligence & Robotics CoE (MINRO) at IIIT Bangalore, IESA, and SFAL to launch the K-VLSI Design Program. This 6-9 months skill development initiative for students is a promising step towards nurturing the next generation of talent for the ESDM industry.
“This sector is a niche with high-end technology. Our policy is changing the landscape of innovation and technology across the board. Worldwide, only 8-10 countries are doing this. SFAL is a very unique model for the country. States like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are consulting the government of Karnataka and SFAL to replicate it,” said Kharge.
“We are making Karnataka future-ready by concentrating on two things necessary for semiconductors – skilling and incubation for innovation,” Kharge further added.
