Sunshine Industry! VLSID and Semiconductor Sector To Generate 10K Jobs Per Year In WB

With the electronics and semi-conductor industry emerging as critical elements of economic growth and strategic security for the nation, the VLSI Society of India, with support from the State Government is organising a three-day international conference on Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Design and Embedded Systems in Kolkata from Monday, January 8 to Wednesday, January 10.

The conference is aimed at encouraging higher education and research on the VLSI Design and Semiconductors, also known as the 'Sunshine Industry', in the state.

The conference was inaugurated on Monday by Babul Supriyo, Minister-in-charge of IT and Electronics, Government of West Bengal. The inaugural session witnessed participation from over 1000 representatives from the industry, start-ups, government and academia, who came together to explore the prospects of the VLSI Design and Semi-conductor industry in Bengal.

"We have a huge pool of technical training institutes in the state which provides skilled professionals and generate employment. An active drive for VLSI and semiconductors in the state can help us generate more than ten thousand jobs every year," said Prof (Dr) Hafizur Rahaman from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, and the General Chair of VLSID 2024.

Over 300 students from various educational institutes across the country have been provided fellowship by the VLSI Society of India to attend the tutorials to provide them an understanding of the VLSI Design and Semiconductor technology.

"The Government of West Bengal is working aggressively towards having a semiconductor policy for the state which will help the semiconductor industry to set its footprint here. The government is working towards creating a conducive environment for the semiconductor industry in the state," said Babul Supriyo.

"We have 22 I-T Parks which are in great demand. 17 of them are almost full. However, we still have enough space for the semiconductor industry to set up its units in the state," the minister added.

Focusing on the opportunity for VLSI Design and Semiconductor Industry in the state and India at large, Dr Satya Gupta, President, VLSI Society of India said that the society has started regional chapters in different parts of the country to encourage VLSI education and research across the country including West Bengal.

"Realising the vast requirement of manpower in the VLSI and Semiconductor industry, All India Council for Technical Education has already approved a B.Tech programme in VLSI Design. So far, 129 institutes have decided to start B.Tech programmes in Electronics and VLSI Design," said Dr Gupta.

"To have enough VLSI Design engineers and to provide skilled talent in the field across the globe, we are taking the initiative to start the B.Tech programme at a total of 500 institutes across the country within the next three years. To achieve this, the VLSI Society has started faculty development programme to train teachers," he added.

He further stated that the VLSI society of India is working towards making India a 'Semi Conductor product nation' in manufacturing, education and Design.

Addressing the conference virtually, S Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology, Govt of India, highlighted the key policies undertaken by the central government to facilitate the growth of the semiconductor industry in the country and said that the semiconductor technology is much like an engine that drives the train of electronic products towards the destination of a self-reliant India.

"Semiconductor technology has become one of the most important and strategic technologies of the 21st century. India consumes approximately USD 25 Billion worth of semiconductor chips every year and this market is likely to grow to USD 100 billion in the next 4-5 years," he said.

"Considering the long-term strategic and economic importance of semi-conductors, the government of India has announced a large semi-conductor policy in 2022 which is one of the most generous industrial policy of the Government of India in all time. A package of USD 10 BN (Almost Rs 76,000 crore) was announced as incentives for the industry," he added.