India Looks Overseas for Semiconductor Training Expertise

India is exploring partnerships with leading technology institutions in Taiwan and Singapore as it works to create the skilled workforce required for its rapidly expanding semiconductor industry.

The government is likely to invite Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute, or ITRI, and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, known as A*STAR, to establish semiconductor training capabilities in India.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology could offer financial support for establishing these centres as part of a broader effort to create a steady pipeline of industry-ready engineers and technicians.

The proposed initiative reflects a growing recognition that semiconductor manufacturing requires not only large capital investments and advanced equipment but also specialised technical skills across fabrication, packaging, testing and supporting industries.

ITRI and A*STAR Could Establish Training Centres in India

The proposed partnerships would bring expertise from two established Asian semiconductor ecosystems into India.

Taiwan’s ITRI has played an important role in applied technology research and semiconductor development, while Singapore has built a substantial semiconductor manufacturing, research and talent-development ecosystem.

Under the plan being considered, training facilities established in India could provide practical skills aligned with the requirements of semiconductor fabs and allied manufacturing facilities.

The objective would be to produce workers who can move more directly from training programmes into industry roles rather than requiring extensive additional preparation.

Semicon 2.0 Targets 1 Lakh Technicians

Talent development is one of the major pillars of India’s Semicon 2.0 strategy.

The government has set a target of training around 1 lakh semiconductor technicians over five years as manufacturing capacity expands across the country.

Approximately 400 universities and institutes are already participating in semiconductor chip-design education programmes developed during the earlier phase of the semiconductor initiative.

The next phase is expected to broaden these capabilities by upgrading curricula and creating pathways from foundational chip design toward more advanced systems-design skills.

Technical training for manufacturing workers will run alongside these academic initiatives, creating separate talent pipelines for design, fabrication and other parts of the semiconductor value chain.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Requires Specialised Workforce

Building semiconductor factories is substantially different from conventional manufacturing.

Fabrication plants operate highly sophisticated production environments involving clean rooms, precision equipment, chemicals, materials and tightly controlled manufacturing processes.

Engineers and technicians must understand specialised areas ranging from equipment maintenance and process control to wafer handling, quality assurance and advanced packaging.

As India moves from being predominantly a semiconductor-design centre toward becoming a manufacturing location, demand for these practical production skills is expected to rise sharply.

International partnerships could help accelerate the transfer of training methodologies that have already been developed in established semiconductor hubs.

Taiwan Brings Deep Semiconductor Expertise

Taiwan occupies a central position in the global semiconductor supply chain and has developed extensive capabilities across fabrication, chip design, packaging, equipment and research.

India has already been strengthening academic cooperation with Taiwanese institutions.

IIT Gandhinagar recently entered partnerships with Taipei Tech, Taiwan Tech and National Central University covering semiconductor and emerging-technology research, academic exchanges and talent development.

Earlier collaborations have also connected Indian educational institutions with Taiwanese universities for semiconductor-related training.

A potential ITRI training presence would extend this cooperation toward more applied industrial skills.

Singapore Partnership Could Strengthen Workforce Development

Singapore represents another important potential partner because of its established semiconductor manufacturing base.

The country has developed industry-academia programmes covering microelectronics, integrated-circuit design and advanced manufacturing skills.

India and Singapore already have a broader semiconductor ecosystem partnership covering areas including supply chains, research, workforce development and business cooperation.

The two countries have also discussed semiconductor skills initiatives, including the potential establishment of a joint training centre in India.

Bringing A*STAR into India's talent-development ecosystem could add research and applied-technology expertise to these existing bilateral efforts.

Talent Becomes Critical as Indian Chip Projects Advance

India has committed substantial public resources toward building a domestic semiconductor ecosystem.

Under the India Semiconductor Mission, incentives have been offered for semiconductor fabrication, assembly, testing, packaging and chip-design activities.

As approved projects move from planning and construction toward production, the industry's workforce requirements will become increasingly immediate.

Factories need technicians before commercial production begins so that employees can be trained on equipment, processes and quality systems.

Developing the talent pipeline alongside manufacturing infrastructure could therefore reduce the risk of skilled-labour shortages slowing the industry's expansion.

Training Must Extend Beyond Chip Engineers

India’s semiconductor workforce requirements extend well beyond highly qualified chip designers.

A large manufacturing ecosystem also needs equipment technicians, process operators, maintenance personnel, materials specialists, quality-control professionals and workers supporting allied component industries.

This creates opportunities for engineering colleges, polytechnics and technical-training institutions to participate in semiconductor workforce development.

Industry-aligned programmes could also provide students with clearer employment pathways as new fabs, packaging plants and supporting suppliers begin operations.

The proposed international training partnerships appear designed to address this broader workforce requirement.

Semiconductor Ecosystem Could Generate Significant Employment

Semicon 2.0 is intended to expand India’s capabilities across semiconductor design, fabrication, equipment, materials, advanced packaging, research and talent development.

The government has indicated that investment commitments of around ₹1 lakh crore have emerged around the semiconductor ecosystem, with close to 1 lakh employment opportunities expected as the sector expands.

Developing a sufficiently large skilled workforce will be essential if these investments are to translate into sustainable domestic manufacturing capabilities.

Talent development can also help India move progressively toward more technologically sophisticated segments of the semiconductor value chain.

Conclusion

India’s potential partnerships with Taiwan’s ITRI and Singapore’s A*STAR could become an important component of the country's semiconductor workforce strategy.

Establishing specialised training capabilities in India would allow the country to draw on decades of expertise from two established Asian semiconductor ecosystems while developing engineers and technicians closer to emerging domestic manufacturing clusters.

With Semicon 2.0 targeting 1 lakh trained technicians over five years and hundreds of educational institutions already participating in semiconductor education, international collaboration could accelerate India's transition from a strong chip-design base toward a broader semiconductor manufacturing and technology ecosystem.