The Government of India will invest ₹4,500 crore to upgrade and expand the state‑run Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, with Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw clearly stating that the facility will be modernised but not privatised. The announcement came during a visit by the Minister and Union MoS Ravneet Singh, where 28 student‑designed semiconductor chips fabricated at SCL were formally handed over, taking the total number of such designs produced under the Chips to Start‑up (C2S) programme to 56.
Major investment and modernisation roadmap
Shri Vaishnaw said the ₹4,500‑crore infusion will overhaul SCL’s production lines, bring in new fabrication tools and scale wafer output to nearly 100 times the current capacity over the next few years. He underlined that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid out a clear roadmap to position SCL as a modern, government‑run R&D and training hub central to the India Semiconductor Mission, with no plan to privatise the lab.
Student‑designed chips and talent pipeline
The 28 chips handed over at the event were designed by students from 17 academic institutions using Electronic Design Automation tools provided under the Chips to Start‑up programme. With these additions, a total of 56 student‑designed chips have now been fabricated at SCL, underscoring its role as a prototype foundry that converts young designers’ ideas into real silicon and helps build a domestic talent pool in chip design and fabrication.
New training and process facilities
The Minister also inaugurated the Semiconductor Process Gallery and the Abhyuthanam Training Block at SCL. The gallery recreates a clean‑room environment with earlier‑generation tools to give students and visitors a realistic sense of how fabs and ATMP (assembly, testing, marking and packaging) facilities function, while the training block offers online and offline semiconductor courses along with hands‑on fire and safety training.
Expansion plans and strategic ecosystem
To support the modernisation, the Centre has requested 25 acres of additional land from the Punjab government, which would enable future capacity expansion and ancillary infrastructure. Shri Vaishnaw said a strong consortium involving CDAC, DRDO and other organisations will collaborate on design, product development and manufacturing of swadeshi chips, with SCL serving both strategic requirements and the needs of students, researchers and start‑ups.
Atmanirbhar push in semiconductors
The Minister emphasised that self‑reliance in strategic technologies like semiconductors is essential as chips underpin critical systems in healthcare, communications, transport, defence and space. By combining large‑scale public investment, student‑focused fabrication support and a national design‑to‑manufacturing ecosystem, the SCL roadmap is intended to make India a significant player in the global semiconductor value chain and turn Mohali into a key pillar of the country’s long‑term chip mission.
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Source: PIB
