According to information submitted by union minister of state (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology to Lok Sabha, seven semiconductor designs developed by startups supported under the design-linked incentive (DLI) scheme have been successfully fabricated, including advanced 12 nanometre chips manufactured by global foundries.
A total of 16 chip designs have reached the tape-out stage and have been sent to multiple foundries. Tape-out marks the final step of chip design before manufacturing, while fabrication refers to physically producing the chip on silicon wafers. The ministry added that around 100 fabless semiconductor startups have received access to advanced design infrastructure, together using nearly 5.5 million hours of specialised design tools.
Launched in 2022, the design linked incentive (DLI) scheme for chip and system-on-chip (SoC) design has so far approved 24 projects with a combined value of about Rs 9 billion. These projects span sectors such as video surveillance, drone detection, energy metering, microprocessors, satellite communications, broadband and internet of thing (IoT) chips.
The programme has resulted in 10 patent filings and the development of over 140 reusable semiconductor intellectual property cores. 13 companies have also raised venture capital funding, triggering private investments worth more than three times the incentives provided.
The ministry also highlighted progress under the Chips to Startup (C2S) initiative, which supports students, researchers and startups in building indigenous chips. A total of 46 institutions submitted 122 chip designs for fabrication at the Semiconductor Lab in Mohali, of which 56 student-designed chips have been successfully manufactured, packaged and returned. More than 75 patents have been filed under this initiative, with over 100 additional chip developments currently underway.
