The collaboration is expected to expand India’s semiconductor talent pipeline
The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has collaborated with the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali, to make India’s indigenous 1.2 µm Process Design Kit (PDK) available through the eChipHub platform, strengthening the country’s semiconductor design ecosystem under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).
The initiative aims to provide students, researchers, faculty members, startups, MSMEs and industry professionals with access to indigenous semiconductor process technology for integrated circuit (IC) design and prototyping. By enabling practical chip design education and hands-on innovation, the collaboration is expected to expand India’s semiconductor talent pipeline.
Managed by NIELIT under the MeitY-funded project Development of EdTech Platform in Semiconductor Space to Democratize Chip Design and Development Ecosystem for Masses, eChipHub serves as a national platform for semiconductor design education and skill development. Developed jointly by NIELIT and SoCTeamup Semiconductors Pvt. Ltd., the platform plans to train nearly 30,000 students through structured courses, bootcamps, faculty development programmes, internships and industry-academia initiatives.
As part of the collaboration, the SCL 1.2 µm PDK has been integrated into eChipHub and will be accessible through a secure Aadhaar-authenticated download system. The move is intended to ensure responsible access while encouraging wider adoption of indigenous semiconductor technologies.
The integration combines the indigenous open-source PDK with open-source electronic design automation (EDA) toolchains, creating one of India’s first indigenous design-to-fabrication learning pathways. Users will be able to perform the complete semiconductor design workflow—from RTL design and simulation to synthesis, physical implementation and fabrication-oriented design—using Indian-developed process technology.
The collaboration also enhances eChipHub’s existing offerings, including cloud-based virtual laboratories, implementation-focused courses, Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs), workshops, internships, hackathons, academic alliance initiatives and collaborative chip design projects.
Together, NIELIT and SCL aim to establish an integrated design-to-fabrication ecosystem that enables students, researchers, startups, MSMEs and academic institutions to develop fabrication-ready IC designs using indigenous technologies, supporting India’s ambition to become a global hub for semiconductor design and innovation.
The latest initiative builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by NIELIT and SCL on 25 April 2025 in the presence of MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan. The agreement was aimed at strengthening semiconductor research, innovation, skilling, indigenous technology development and academia-industry collaboration in India.
