Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Friday announced that the Center will set up the Bharat Semiconductor Research Center and launch the Digital India FutureLabs initiative soon.

The minister made this announcement during his virtual address at the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) Vision Summit in Bengaluru. “We will soon set up the Bharat Semiconductor Research Centre, which will serve as a hub for semiconductor innovation across the spectrum that will drive future systems,” Chandrasekhar said.

Late last year, after a comprehensive report was submitted by the India Semiconductor R&D Committee – a panel of officials, industry experts and academicians – the IT Ministry unveiled plans to set up a ‘India Semiconductor Research Center’ in 2024 . A collaborative effort involving industry experts and academicians will be undertaken to develop the research facility in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

Also, Chandrashekhar emphasized that this establishment will serve as a foundational institution in increasing India’s proficiency in semiconductors. This nano-electronics R&D hub is poised to become India’s counterpart to globally renowned institutions like IMEC, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and MIT Microelectronics Lab, all of which have pioneered cutting-edge technologies across the globe. Are.

Separately, during the IESA event, the minister said: “We will launch our upcoming program called Digital India FutureLabs very soon. The program will be a collaboration and partnership involving government laboratories, Indian start-ups, large enterprises and corporations in the electronics sector. It will also include tier-1 suppliers and automotive industrial platforms focused on designing and innovating systems for the future.”

The Digital India FutureLabs initiative seeks to enhance India’s electronics and IT sector by creating a research and innovation framework, supporting leadership in standards, intellectual properties (IP), systems and platforms. The emphasis is on strengthening the domestic innovation ecosystem, promoting sustainable development and promoting technological progress through collaborative efforts.

Led by C-DAC as the central coordinating agency, FutureLabs will focus on key areas such as automotive, mobility, compute, communications, strategic electronics and industrial IoT. It will facilitate partnerships between startups, multinational corporations (MNCs), research and development (R&D) institutions and academia to collectively advance the development of systems, standards and IP cores.

Chandrashekhar also outlined the vision and path set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to boost the electronics manufacturing ecosystem. Noting India’s progress in establishing a thriving innovation ecosystem, especially in the consumer internet sector, the Minister highlighted the rapid growth of start-ups, unicorns and significant investments.

He outlined the logical expansion of this ecosystem with a keen focus on deep technology initiatives including expansion of the semiconductor ecosystem.

“As a logical extension of this innovation ecosystem and a reimagining of our national ambitions, we have looked to our Prime Minister, who has set out a framework and investments to expand our semiconductor ecosystem.”

“This deep technology initiative ensures that future systems meet the performance requirements driven by increased digitalization for consumers, enterprises and governments around the world. The focus covers the entire spectrum including automotive, computers, wireless telecommunications, industrial applications, IoT and strategic technologies,” he said.