The Government of India will invest ₹4,500 crore to upgrade and expand the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, reaffirming that the facility will not be privatised. The announcement came during a visit by the Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister and the Minister of State, who reviewed progress on ongoing modernisation work.
During the programme, 28 chips designed by students from 17 academic institutions were handed over. These designs were created using Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools provided under the Chips to Start-up (C2S) programme. With this, a total of 56 student-designed chips have now been fabricated at SCL.
The ministers also inaugurated the Semiconductor Process Gallery and the Abhyuthanam Training Block. The Process Gallery features a clean room lab equipped with earlier-generation fabrication tools, giving students a realistic experience of a semiconductor fabrication and ATMP facility. The new training block offers online and offline semiconductor modules, as well as hands-on fire and safety training.
Roadmap for SCL Mohali
The government has laid out a clear roadmap for the future of SCL. The planned ₹4,500-crore investment will upgrade the facility to modern standards and significantly expand capacity, targeting a hundredfold increase in wafer production. SCL will continue to support students, researchers, and start-ups by offering fabrication facilities that turn chip designs into real silicon.
World-class EDA tools
India is among the few countries where students from nearly 300 universities design semiconductor chips using world-class EDA tools made available through government support. This ecosystem is unique and will continue to strengthen. The central government has also requested that the Punjab government allocate 25 acres of land to support SCL’s further modernisation.
Atmanirbharta in strategic areas
Reaffirming the need for self-reliance in strategic sectors, the government announced plans to build a robust ecosystem for indigenous chip development. A consortium featuring CDAC, DRDO, and other organisations will collaborate on the design, development, and manufacturing of domestically produced chips.