- IITs, NIT Rourkela, and Saveetha Engineering College shine in chip design hackathons.
- Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme trains 85,000 engineers for semiconductor jobs.
- New ChipIN Centre and RISC-V Processor boost India’s tech goals.
India’s drive to build its own semiconductor ecosystem got a big lift as top colleges like IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Guwahati, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, NIT Rourkela, and Saveetha Engineering College won big in the “Analog and Digital Hackathons.” These events, part of the Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), had 40 teams and 200 students working on real chip design projects. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the winners, with support from companies like AMD and Synopsys.
In the Analog Hackathon, IIT Delhi’s Team Intuition took first place, NIT Rourkela’s Team Analog Edge got second, and IIT Guwahati’s Team FETManiacs came third. For the Digital Hackathon, IIT Bombay’s Team RISCB won first, Saveetha Engineering College’s Team Silicon Scripters took second, and IIT (BHU) Varanasi’s Team Daedalus placed third. The C2S Programme aims to train 85,000 students in chip design for jobs in this growing field, giving them tools and mentorship to create and test chips.
To speed things up, MeitY launched the ChipIN Centre at C-DAC, a major hub with advanced tools for designing tiny 5nm chips. Plus, starting April 10, 2025, the “Digital India RISC-V Processor” programme will kick off, using tech from C-DAC’s VEGA and IIT Madras’ SHAKTI processors. This push shows India’s plan to become a leader in semiconductors, with help from big names like Renesas and Bharat Electronics.
