Chips to Startups: Over 68,000 students trained to power India's semiconductor design push
Synopsis
India's Chips to Startups programme has crossed 68,000 trained students and 254 chip tape-outs — a quiet but consequential milestone. With EDA tools now reaching 332 universities and EHTP exports topping ₹11,100 crore, the country is laying the human-capital foundation for a semiconductor design industry, even as the harder leap to commercial chip production remains ahead.
Key Takeaways
More than 68,000 students trained under the Chips to Startups (C2S) programme to date; target is 85,000 industry-ready professionals .
332 academic institutions across India now have access to advanced EDA tools from leading global vendors.
Participating institutions have completed 254 chip tape-outs — 175 at SCL, Mohali (180 nm node) and 79 at overseas foundries.
Andhra Pradesh alone accounts for 23 institutions with over 4.34 lakh EDA tool hours logged.
EHTP units have grown to 79 , with electronics exports crossing ₹11,100 crore in FY2025-26 .
Union Minister of State Jitin Prasada disclosed these figures in the Lok Sabha on 14 August .
More than 68,000 students have been trained under the Chips to Startups (C2S) programme to date, as India accelerates efforts to build a self-reliant semiconductor chip design ecosystem, the government informed Parliament on 14 August. The programme targets a cumulative pool of 85,000 industry-ready professionals at the B.Tech, M.Tech, and PhD levels, specialised in semiconductor chip design.
Scale and Reach of the C2S Programme
Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada disclosed the figures in the Lok Sabha, noting that access to advanced Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools — from companies including Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens EDA, Ansys, Keysight, Silvaco, Renesas-Altium, AMD-Xilinx, AsterQuanta, Compcarta, and Cadre — has been extended to 332 academic institutions across the country. These tools are the industry standard for chip design and are otherwise prohibitively expensive for most universities.
Participating institutions have successfully completed 254 chip tape-outs — a critical milestone in chip development that moves a design from simulation to physical fabrication. Of these, 175 designs were taped out at the 180 nm technology node at SCL, Mohali, while 79 designs went to overseas semiconductor foundries.
Andhra Pradesh's Role in the Ecosystem
In Andhra Pradesh, 23 academic institutions have been granted access to advanced EDA tools under the programme, with cumulative tool utilisation crossing 4.34 lakh hours. The projects are at various stages of design and development and are expected to advance toward prototype validation and tape-out at foundries, according to Prasada.
Electronics Hardware Technology Parks Boost Exports
Separately, Electronics Hardware Technology Parks (EHTP) have emerged as a significant pillar of India's export-oriented electronics manufacturing base. The number of operational EHTP units has grown to 79, with exports crossing ₹11,100 crore in FY2025-26. The scheme operates as a 100 per cent export-oriented programme, with the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) providing statutory services through a single-window clearance system.
Eligible EHTP units benefit from duty-free import and procurement of capital goods, raw materials, components, consumables, and spares required for export production, in line with the Foreign Trade Policy 2023. Units are also permitted domestic tariff area sales and enjoy simplified customs procedures. Notably, there is no direct fund allocation under the EHTP scheme — benefits are entirely incentive and policy-driven.
What Comes Next
With the C2S programme still short of its 85,000-trainee target, the government is expected to intensify institutional outreach, particularly in states with emerging semiconductor ambitions. The tape-out pipeline — now at 254 designs — signals growing academic confidence in chip design, though the leap from academic prototype to commercial production remains the sector's defining challenge. As India's semiconductor policy matures, the C2S programme's output will be a key indicator of whether domestic design talent can anchor a broader fab-and-design ecosystem.
Point of View
But the real stress test lies ahead. Training 68,000 students in EDA tools is a foundation — it is not yet a semiconductor industry. India's chip design ambitions will only be validated when academic tape-outs translate into commercial IP, and when domestic startups begin licensing designs rather than importing them. The EHTP export figure of ₹11,100 crore is notable, but the scheme's zero-fund-allocation model means growth is entirely incentive-dependent — a structural fragility that policymakers have yet to address publicly. The gap between 68,000 trained and 85,000 targeted also deserves scrutiny: with the programme presumably in its later stages, the final stretch is typically the hardest to fill.
NationPress
14 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Chips to Startups (C2S) programme?
The Chips to Startups (C2S) programme is a government initiative to build India's semiconductor chip design workforce, targeting 85,000 industry-ready professionals at B.Tech, M.Tech, and PhD levels. It provides academic institutions with access to professional-grade Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools and supports chip tape-out projects.
How many students have been trained under the C2S programme so far?
More than 68,000 students have been trained under the C2S programme to date, according to figures shared by Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada in the Lok Sabha on 14 August. The programme's overall target is 85,000 trained professionals.
What is a chip tape-out and why does it matter?
A tape-out is the process of sending a finalised chip design to a semiconductor foundry for physical fabrication — the critical step that moves a design from simulation to a real silicon chip. Under C2S, 254 tape-outs have been completed, indicating that academic institutions are producing designs mature enough for manufacturing.
What are Electronics Hardware Technology Parks (EHTP) and how are they performing?
EHTPs are 100 per cent export-oriented units that promote electronics hardware exports from India, supported by single-window statutory clearances through STPI. As of FY2025-26, 79 EHTP units are operational and have collectively exported goods worth over ₹11,100 crore.
Which states and institutions are part of the C2S programme?
The programme covers 332 academic institutions nationwide. Andhra Pradesh alone has 23 participating institutions, which have collectively logged over 4.34 lakh EDA tool hours. Chip designs have been taped out at SCL, Mohali, and at overseas foundries.
