First 3nm chip design centres unveiled in India

New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Tuesday inaugurated two new design facilities of Renesas Electronics India, located at Noida and Bengaluru, that would work on cutting-edge 3 nanometer chip design.

Highlighting the uniqueness of the new facility, Vaishnaw informed that this places India firmly in the global league of semiconductor innovation.

“Designing at 3nm is truly next-generation. We’ve done 7nm and 5nm earlier, but this marks a new frontier,” he said.

The minister also elaborated on India’s holistic semiconductor strategy encompassing design, fabrication, ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging), equipment, chemicals, and gas supply chains.

He cited industry confidence witnessed at global platforms like Davos, and mentioned significant investments already being made by companies such as Applied Materials and Lam Research.

Highlighting the growing momentum in India’s semiconductor ecosystem, the minister said that the inauguration of this major Semiconductor Design Centre in Uttar Pradesh is a critical step towards developing a pan-India ecosystem, that harnesses the rich talent available across the country.

“Within just three years, India’s semiconductor industry has moved from a nascent stage to an emerging global hub, and is now poised for long-term, sustainable growth,” said the minister.

He also added that “With manufacturing of electronic products in smart phones, laptops, servers, medical equipment, defence equipment, automobiles and many other sectors, the demand for semiconductors is going to increase exponentially. Therefore, this momentum for growth of semiconductor industry is timely.”

The minister also announced the launch of a new semiconductor learning kit, aimed at enhancing practical hardware skills among engineering students.

He also said that more than 270+ academic institutions that have already received advanced EDA (Electronic, Design, Automation) software tools under the India Semiconductor Mission will also receive these hands-on hardware kits.

"This integration of software and hardware learning will create truly industry-ready engineers. We are not just building infrastructure but investing in long-term talent development,” he said.

Hidetoshi Shibata, CEO and MD of Renesas Electronics, said India is a strategic cornerstone for them, with growing contributions in embedded systems, software, and system innovation.

He emphasised Renesas' commitment to expanding end-to-end semiconductor capabilities in India, from architecture to testing, while supporting over 250 academic institutions and numerous startups through government-backed initiatives.

—IANS

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