Current Focus Areas
We are currently focusing on the following four technical verticals related to the Indian Semiconductor Mission. As we expand our team, we plan to cover additional verticals such as fabs for compound semiconductors, silicon photonics, sensors (including MEMS), discrete semiconductors, and semiconductor ATMP/OSAT facilities.
AMS/RF
AMS ICs have diverse applications, spanning conversion from analog-to-digital or vice versa, digital computing, wireline data communication, and LiDAR. RF ICs focus on the generation, modulation, and transmission of signals to the antenna. These are known to have applications in wireless communication and enable high-speed data transfer. Skill development and research in the domain of AMS/RF are crucial in driving advancements in the aforementioned fields. We aim to focus on the guidelines and design of course content that offer the necessary theoretical fundamental knowledge, analysis capabilities and skills and hands-on experience as well as initiatives to boost academia-industry collaboration.
Power ESD
Power electronic semiconductor devices (Power ESDs) are crucial that enables efficient energy usage in nearly every electric and electronic system, from our phone charger to electric cars and power grids. They are at the heart of the modern energy ecosystem. Unlike regular logic chips (like CPUs or memory), these devices are designed to handle high voltages and currents, making them essential in power control and energy conversion.
Power ESDs find themselves in the high-growth segment, especially with trends like green energy, smart grids, and transportation electrification.
Packaging
Semiconductor packaging has long been a key part of semiconductor devices, as it refers to the protective physical enclosure with interconnects, powers, and protected chips. It is among the most important primary drivers of innovation and economic growth. The nation's expanding demand in areas like industrial automation, healthcare, automobiles, and artificial intelligence drives the need for integrated advanced packaging solutions. Building advanced semiconductor packaging design skills will nurture India's semiconductor independence, fostering domestic innovation in industrial, commercial, and household applications.
AI, Neuromorphic, Advanced Computing Hardware
Emerging technologies in Artificial Intelligence, like neuromorphic systems and advanced computing hardware, are redefining the future of computing. Neuromorphic hardware—built on brain-inspired principles such as sparsity, asynchronous event-driven architectures, and the purposeful exploitation of noise—offers a transformative solution. Realizing potential of this field will require innovation across hardware, circuits, devices, and materials to drive the next era of semiconductor design and manufacturing.
Roadmap and Milestones
Each vertical within the DevSET initiative will adopt a phased roadmap to build long-term capability and national impact. The general roadmap and milestones looks as follows:
Short Term (6-12 months)
Establish a core working group for the vertical and initiate talent development efforts.
Review existing curricula in Indian universities to identify gaps in domain-specific education.
Begin academia–industry engagements through guest lectures, problem statements, or small collaborative projects to align academic learning with real-world challenges.
Mid-Term (1–2 years)
Develop and implement standardized training programs or national curricula in collaboration with academia and industry. These may include M.Tech specializations, certification courses (e.g., ePGD), or online modules tailored to the vertical’s focus.
Launch collaborative hardware projects that involve multiple institutions, offering hands-on experience and showcasing national capabilities.
Establish formal industry partnerships for internships, sponsored research, and potential commercialization of innovations emerging from academic labs.
Long-Term (3–5 years)
Build a self-sustaining ecosystem with a steady pipeline of trained professionals contributing to domestic and global projects.
Enable regular prototyping cycles—such as multi-project wafer runs or system demonstrators — with support from national fabs, research labs, or industry partners.
Foster consortia and startups focused on product development, leading to indigenous technologies being deployed in real-world applications
By the 5-year mark, the goal is to see Indian-designed technologies used in commercial systems, thereby establishing India’s leadership in these critical semiconductor domains.