New Delhi, Sep 2: NIT Rourkela proudly marked a milestone in India’s growing semiconductor journey, as two of its integrated circuit (IC) designs were featured at the prestigious Semicon India 2025 event, inaugurated today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.
This event symbolizes India’s strategic leap toward becoming a global semiconductor powerhouse.
As part of the celebrations, NIT Rourkela’s IC designs were included in the commemorative memento of India’s first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor, Vikram-32, presented to the Prime Minister by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The Featured IC Designs:
These semiconductors were made during the NIT Rourkela’s participation in the Chip-to-Startup (C2S) Programme, sanctioned by MeitY in 2023 and led by Principal Investigator Prof.KamalakantaMahapatra and Co-PI Prof.AyasKanta Swain. The C2S initiative enables comprehensive research in VLSI and system-level design. Over five years, the project aims to develop skilled manpower across undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels in SoC and system design, a direct contribution to India’s semiconductor talent pool and Atmanirbhar Bharat goals.
Voices from NIT Rourkela:
Prof.Ayas Kanta Swain, Faculty & Co-PI (Chip-to-Startup Programme) said
“I am truly delighted that our two designs were presented to Shri Narendra Modiji at Semicon India 2025. This recognition inspires us to work harder and contribute more towards the growth of the semiconductor ecosystem in India and Odisha. It strengthens our journey towards Atmanirbhar Bharat by enabling indigenous IC designs for both industrial and societal applications.”
Prof.Sauagat Kumar Kar (faculty and team member of design C2S0018), said,
“Being part of Semicon India 2025 with our IC designs is a proud moment for NIT Rourkela. These achievements reflect our commitment to building indigenous capabilities in semiconductor design and preparing a skilled workforce for India’s rapidly evolving chip industry. We are determined to position Odisha as a significant contributor to the nation’s semiconductor ecosystem.”
Bharat Patidar, PhD Student (design C2S0017) said,“I thank NIT Rourkela for giving me the opportunity to work on designing an IC that gave me hands-on exposure to real-world IC design challenges. With the anticipated growth of the semiconductor sector in Odisha, skilled graduates can play a key role in advancing IC design, manufacturing, and fabrication.”
Through C2S and allied initiatives, NIT Rourkela empowers academia-led chip design and fosters real-world exposure for students and researchers.The institute’s vision extends beyond national contribution, aiming to establish Odisha as an emerging semiconductor innovation hub.By nurturing talent across design, fabrication, and system-level integration, NIT Rourkela is poised to contribute to the critical semiconductor supply chain while aligning with India’s broader Atmanirbhar Bharat objective.
