- Why in news
- On 17 January 2026, PIB published a note on the Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme, listing its outcomes: about 1 lakh enrolled, 6 shared wafer runs and 56 student-designed chips fabricated.
- What it is
- The Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme is a MeitY capacity-building scheme for semiconductor design in academic institutions. It gives students and researchers access to EDA tools, fabrication through shared wafers and testing support. It aims to build industry-ready chip designers and to encourage start-ups and patents.
- Launch and outlay
- Launched by MeitY in 2022 with an outlay of ₹250 crore over five years.
- Manpower target
- The programme targets 85,000 industry-ready professionals across B.Tech, M.Tech and PhD levels.
- ChipIN Centre
- Run by C-DAC at Bengaluru, it is the national hub for shared design tools, compute and IP cores. It checks designs and bundles them for fabrication.
- Fabrication at SCL Mohali
- Student designs are grouped every three months and fabricated at SCL Mohali using 180 nm technology.
- Related scheme
- The Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme covers 95 start-ups, while C2S covers academic institutions.
Don’t confuse with C2S vs DLI Scheme: C2S builds skills and design access in academic institutions. The DLI Scheme gives incentives to start-ups and firms for chip design.
Don’t confuse with ChipIN Centre vs SCL Mohali: ChipIN Centre (C-DAC, Bengaluru) handles design support and verification. SCL Mohali fabricates and packages the chips.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Addresses the shortage of semiconductor design talent, supporting self-reliance.
- Gives students hands-on chip design experience and a path to start-ups and patents.
Problems
- Fabrication relies on 180 nm technology, which is far behind advanced nodes.
- Dependence on foreign EDA tools and converting training into jobs and start-ups.
Way forward
- Link trained talent with the India Semiconductor Mission and DLI Scheme to build products.
- Widen access to advanced-node fabrication and develop domestic EDA tools.
Put in your answer
Talent gap: The global semiconductor industry needs over 1 million additional skilled professionals by 2032.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting MeitY scheme on chip design talent, linked to the semiconductor mission. Mostly progress data; Prelims questions rest on features, so card only.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.