India’s Semiconductor Dream Needs 1 Million Skilled Engineers – and Urgent Upskilling

• Chinmay
• May 21, 2025
• India, News, Semiconductor Industry
• AICTE semiconductor curriculum, ATMP jobs India, Chips to Startup, electronics upskilling India, IoT and embedded careers, Micron India plant, semiconductor manufacturing jobs, semiconductor workforce India, skill gap in electronics, SMART Lab NIELIT, Tata fab Dholera, VLSI Training
• 0 Comments

India is aiming to become a global semiconductor powerhouse, but there’s one critical roadblock: a massive skill gap.

Backed by billion-dollar investments and strong government support, the country’s semiconductor sector is rapidly expanding—from design hubs to full-scale fabrication and packaging. Yet, despite producing over 600,000 electronics-related graduates annually, only 1% are considered job-ready for fab-level operations.

Why this matters

The global semiconductor market is projected to exceed US$1 trillion by 2030, and India wants a major slice of it. Projects like:

• Tata Electronics & PSMC’s fab in Gujarat (US$11B, 50K wafers/month),
• Micron Technology’s ATMP plant in Sanand (US$2.75B),
• Tata TSAT in Assam (48 million chips/day),
• And a $900M JV between CG Power, Renesas, and Stars Microelectronics

… are expected to generate over 1 million jobs by 2026.

But who will fill them?

Hands-on Skills in High Demand

From VLSI design and photolithography to OSAT and cleanroom fab operations, the industry needs engineers with real skills, not just degrees. High-paying design roles can fetch up to ₹80 lakh/year. But for that, specialization is key.

And it’s not just about engineers—technicians with diploma-level training in semiconductor processing are equally vital.

What’s being done

• C2S (Chips to Startup) aims to train 85,000 engineers in VLSI and embedded systems by 2027.
• SMART Labs (NIELIT Calicut) are targeting 1 lakh trained engineers over 5 years.
• AICTE has revised the curriculum to reflect industry demands.
• Companies like Micron, NXP, and Foxconn are investing in women-led workforce skilling and housing.

Despite these efforts, there’s still a long way to go. According to MeitY, only 6,000 out of 600,000 graduates per year are ready for fab roles.

A Call to Action

India’s moment is now. But it can’t happen without an urgent push in upskilling, industry-academic collaboration, and practical training. With initiatives taking shape and global players betting big on India, the need of the hour is clear:

If you’re an engineer in electronics, embedded systems, or IoT — now’s the time to level up.