Indian Students Design 8 out of 20 Semiconductor Chips, Country Aims for Commercial Production

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that eight out of 20 semiconductor chips designed by students, many from IIT Hyderabad, have been successfully taped out. He spoke about advancements under the IndianAI Mission, telecom self-reliance, railway modernisation, and indigenous innovation. Vaishnaw called upon today's youth to lead the country back to being among the top two global economies by 2047. A total of 1,273 degrees were awarded at the 14th convocation of Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently announced significant advancements in India's semiconductor industry at the 14th convocation of Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad. He highlighted that eight out of 20 semiconductor chips designed by students, many from IIT Hyderabad, have been successfully taped out. This milestone marks a crucial step towards India's goal of producing commercial-scale chips, a long-standing aspiration of the country [1].

The minister also spoke about various initiatives under the IndianAI Mission, including telecom self-reliance, railway modernisation, and indigenous innovation. One notable achievement is the development of the automatic train protection system 'Kavach' in Hyderabad, which is being implemented across the rail network. Additionally, the country's national compute capacity has surpassed 34,000 GPUs, providing a robust platform for AI innovation [2].

The 14th convocation of IIT Hyderabad saw the graduation of 1,273 students, including 460 B.Tech, 511 M.Tech, 134 PhD, and other courses. Rahul Ramachandran of the Department of Computer Science won the President of India Gold Medal, while Harmanpreet Singh, Ajith BS, and Rishitha Mudunuri received gold medals from the institute [1].

In a broader context, the AI chip market is experiencing significant growth, with companies like Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) and Broadcom, Inc. (AVGO) emerging as promising players beyond Nvidia. Cadence Design Systems, based in San Jose, California, provides technology and support for industries like chip design, pharmaceuticals, and 5G systems, with a strong cloud portfolio and connections across the tech world. Broadcom, with a market cap of $1.30 trillion, is a global leader in the chip industry, known for its wide range of products and services, including AI-capable chips and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) [2].

The minister's call to today's youth to lead the country back to being among the top two global economies by 2047 underscores the importance of technological advancements and innovation in shaping India's future. The government's plan to provide free AI training to approximately 5.5 lakh village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs) under the IndiaAI Mission further demonstrates its commitment to democratizing access to technology and skill development [3].

References:
[1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/eight-out-of-20-semiconductor-chips-designed-by-students-ashwini-vaishnaw/article69831454.ece
[2] https://www.ainvest.com/news/ai-chip-stocks-nvidia-goldman-sachs-highlights-cadence-design-systems-names-2507/
[3] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/free-ai-training-to-5-5-lakh-village-entrepreneurs-soon-says-ashwini-vaishnaw/articleshow/122582935.cms