Semiconductor Design Expert Satya Gupta Explains the Catalysts Driving the Indian Chip Design

Short Video Interview with Satya Gupta, President of VLSI Society of India, by Srinivasa Reddy N, Editor of EEHerald in the backdrop of the recently concluded event DVCON India 2025.

Question: What progress do you see in the growth of Indian semiconductor design talent and the rise of semiconductor product design companies in India?

Satya Gupta: Globally, semiconductor and chip design CEOs prioritize developing talent, particularly skilled design engineers. This challenge is not unique to India but is a worldwide issue. The Indian government has addressed this through initiatives like the Semiconductor Manufacturing & Design Program (SMDP), now in its fourth generation as the Chips to Startup (C2S) program, spanning nearly 25–30 years.

The C2S program has expanded to over 250 institutes, providing access to world-class commercial EDA tools from companies like Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Silvaco, and Ansys. This is likely the largest such program globally, equipping numerous institutes with state-of-the-art tools. With approximately 70 students per institute across 300 colleges, about 21,000 students are trained annually, totaling over 100,000 students over five years.

Additionally, a dedicated undergraduate program in electronics and VLSI has been introduced. Traditionally, VLSI was part of electronics a...