India Chips In: NaMo Semiconductor Lab Approved at IIT Bhubaneswar to Power Indigenous Tech Talent

In a strategic push to strengthen India’s semiconductor ecosystem, the Ministry of Electronics and IT has greenlit the NaMo Semiconductor Laboratory at IIT Bhubaneswar. The Rs 4.95 crore project, funded under the MPLAD scheme, aims to cultivate a skilled workforce for chip design, manufacturing, and packaging.

Key highlights:
1. The lab will feature equipment worth Rs 4.6 crore and software valued at Rs 35 lakh.
2. It will support India’s Make in India and Design in India missions by training youth in industry-ready semiconductor skills.
3. IIT Bhubaneswar’s existing Silicon Carbide Research and Innovation Centre will complement the new facility.
4. Odisha’s recent approvals for SiC-based compound semiconductor and 3D glass packaging projects align with this initiative.
5. India already contributes 20 percent of global chip design talent, with 295 universities using advanced EDA tools.

Sources: Daily Excelsior, The Rising News, Orissa Post, MSN, New Indian Express, Times of India.