Career Wise: What Opportunities Semiconductor Industry Opens For Students In India?

The modern world is increasingly driven by technology, with a range of cutting-edge advancements propelling the semiconductor sector forward. Innovations in fields like the internet of things, artificial intelligence, automobile and manufacturing, robotic process automation, smart devices, 5G and beyond connectivity have all contributed to the exponential growth of the semiconductor industry. The semiconductor sector is expected to play a significant role in shaping the future of technology and enabling transformative changes in fields such as autonomous driving, smart manufacturing, and healthcare.

Importance of Semiconductor Industry

The Indian government has recognized the significant potential of the semiconductor industry and has taken steps to encourage investment in the sector. One such initiative is the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which aims to attract global and domestic investment in semiconductor manufacturing, software design, and display manufacturing, among other areas. Additionally, the Design-Linked Initiative (DLI) scheme focuses on fostering semiconductor design activities in India by providing support for research and development activities, skilling and training, and other relevant initiatives.

This scheme aims to develop a strong domestic semiconductor design ecosystem in the country, enabling India to become a hub for innovation and design in the global semiconductor industry. With expected capital expenditures of trillions of dollars over the next few years, these initiatives will likely create new employment opportunities in the semiconductor and associated sectors.

How To Make Career In Semiconductor Industry

The industry is attracting growing demand for skilled semiconductor professionals, with a promising career outlook and potential for significant contributions to technological progress. On the other hand, the Indian semiconductor industry is currently facing a severe shortage of skilled manpower across the country’s semiconductor ecosystem. A person who is interested to make career in semiconductor needs bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering, chemical engineering, physics, or in information technology.

Apart from degree skills like mathematics knowledge, data analysis and processing, technical understanding of technologies, problem solving approach, knowledge of programming languages along with statistics processes are necessary to develop for a candidate to dream to land in a semiconductor industry. To meet the need for competent professionals in the semiconductor industry, Indian technical institutes must step up to the plate by offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in VLSI Design and Technology

Job Opportunities

Graduates can work in various roles such as design engineers, verification engineers, CAD engineers, and analog circuit designers, among others. Government PSUs such as SCL, ISRO, DRDO, HAL, and BEL are also recruiting VLSI engineers for various positions. As semiconductor chips continue to permeate every aspect of our daily lives, the future of VLSI engineers looks incredibly promising, with immense opportunities both in start-ups and semiconductor giants such as Intel, Micron Technologies, AMD, and NVIDIA, among others.

From autonomous driving to smart manufacturing, the potential applications for semiconductor chips are endless, making it an exciting time to be part of the industry. With India’s commitment to fostering growth and development in the sector, the country is well-positioned to play a leading role in shaping the future of technology and driving progress across multiple industries.

It can be beneficial for students if they collaborate with semiconductor companies and gain practical exposure to the industry, which can help them prepare for their future careers. Furthermore, technical institutes must prioritize research and development in the semiconductor field to contribute to the growth of the industry.

India has emerged as a key player in the global semiconductor industry, with over 20,000 professionals working in various aspects of chip design and verification. The country’s thriving semiconductor sector is driven by an average of 2,000 chips developed every year, placing India firmly on the map as a hub for research and development in this field. With the industry experiencing rapid growth and evolution, this has created a wide range of job opportunities in semiconductor and associated technology verticals, making it an exciting field for young graduates to consider.

Written by- Dr. Tanweer, Associate Professor, Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering, MIT Manipal