Ashwini Vaishnaw announces semiconductor lab at IIT Bhubaneshwar under MPLAD scheme

The Ministry of Electronics and IT announced on Sunday that a “NaMo Semiconductor Laboratory” will be established at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, under the MPLAD scheme. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved the lab at an estimated cost of ₹4.95 crore.

The NaMo Semiconductor Lab will help build India’s talented workforce by giving young people industry-ready skills. The lab will make IIT Bhubaneswar a centre for semiconductor research and training. It will support the development of talent for the upcoming chip manufacturing and packaging facilities across Bharat.

The new lab will further enhance the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Design in India’ initiatives. It will serve as a catalyst for the rapidly expanding semiconductor ecosystem in India. The proposed lab will have essential equipment and software required for semiconductor training, design, and fabrication. The estimated cost is ₹4.6 crore for equipment and ₹35 lakh for software.

According to the ministry, India hosts 20% of the world’s chip design talent. Students from 295 universities nationwide are utilising the latest EDA tools supplied by the industry. Twenty-eight student-designed chips from 20 institutes have been taped out at SCL Mohali.

Odisha has recently received approval for two semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission. One of these is an integrated facility for Silicon Carbide (SiC)-based compound semiconductors. The second is an advanced 3D glass packaging facility.

The ministry said that IIT Bhubaneswar was chosen because it already hosts the Silicon Carbide Research and Innovation Centre (SiCRIC). The new lab will expand the institute’s existing cleanroom facilities. It will offer R&D capabilities to support the semiconductor industry in India.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over ₹60,000 crore in Jharsuguda, Odisha, spanning various sectors, including telecom, railways, education, healthcare, housing, and skill development. “Our government at the Centre and the State is committed to accelerating the pace of development in Odisha,” Modi had said at the event.

A significant portion of the investment, approximately ₹37,000 crore, has been allocated to commissioning more than 97,500 mobile 4G towers constructed with indigenous technology, including over 92,600 sites by BSNL. These towers, many of which are solar-powered, are expected to connect approximately 26,700 unserved villages, particularly in remote and areas affected by left-wing extremism, and benefit more than 20 lakh subscribers.