US-based Lam Research pledges Rs 241 crore to prepare Indian chip workforce

US-based Lam Research Corporation, a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment, on Monday pledged nearly $29 million (Rs 241 crore) in software licenses over the next two years to upskill 2,800 students, as it signed an MoU with the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and Indian Institute of Science to prepare future workforce for the chip industry.

Under the pact, ISM will support the establishment of infrastructure and operational costs. As part of a joint statement issued by the governments of the US and India at the White House in June 2023, the MoU signals the successful completion of the pilot in partnership with IISc and establishes a framework for expansion to multiple universities across the country.

IISc will “train-the-trainers” at selected universities, while Lam will deploy a dedicated team of employees to support the expansion across the country.

“As India takes bold steps to establish a semiconductor industry, a virtual-physical fabrication world made possible with ‘Semiverse Solutions’ will be critical to rapidly scale a workforce to meet industry demand,” said Rangesh Raghavan, Corporate Vice President and GM at Lam Research India.

‘Semiverse Solutions’ leverage the full strength of Lam’s portfolio, including its capabilities in virtual technology, processing and simulations, to deliver a boundary-less virtual learning and collaboration platform that fosters creativity and drives innovation.

“With two of the pilot’s participants already placed in a global tier-1 semiconductor manufacturing company, we are confident about the broad rollout of the course and its impact,” said Professor Srinivasan Raghavan, Chair of the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering at IISc.

The programme is targeted to educate up to 60,000 Indian engineers in semiconductor fabrication technologies, over a 10-year period.

The semiconductor industry is facing a major talent shortage to meet anticipated future demand.

“As the semiconductor ecosystem in India grows, effective skill development partnerships will be key to ensuring we can sustain the momentum,” said Akash Tripathi, CEO, ISM.