Indian govt, semiconductor industry solidify partnership, 3 MoUs inked

On the first day of the SemiconIndia 2022 conference, Qualcomm has partnered with MeitY's Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to support Indian semiconductor start-ups.

The two had signed an MoU and this collaboration will support a group of semiconductor design start-ups, as a part of the government and the industry's ongoing efforts to encourage innovation in the semiconductor space.

Qualcomm India plans to initiate and conduct the Qualcomm Semiconductor Mentorship Program ('QSMP') 2022 for select start-ups from the semiconductor space in India, where it will provide and facilitate mentorship, technical training, and industry outreach. For 2022, Qualcomm India will shortlist up to 10 Indian semiconductor start-ups for QSMP 2022.

Each shortlisted start-up will be paired with a Qualcomm India leader for mentorship on product planning and development. Qualcomm India will also facilitate "Masterclass" workshops for the shortlisted start-ups on semiconductor design aspects, such as design, testing, and verification packaging, as well as on non-technical topics such as pitches, IPR, marketing, government incentives/opportunities, and scaling up teams. C-DAC and Qualcomm India will facilitate exposure for these start-ups to government stakeholders through meetings, webinars, seminars, or tradeshows.

Under this collaboration, the two aims to nurture technical advancements and intellectual-property-driven innovation and product development required for semiconductor design in the Indian ecosystem; help reduce risks in innovation; accelerate the pace of business development; and develop soft skills and knowledge base of Indian start-ups engaged in semiconductor design. They also plan to facilitate access for the selected start-ups with domain experts, VCs, accelerators, incubators, industry associations and large companies that could help them scale up their business.

During the conference, the government has solidified its partnerships with the industry. In addition to this, an MoU was signed between SEMI and Electronic Industries Association Of India (ELCINA) to promote semiconductor ecosystem in India and the third MoU was signed between All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and SEMI and the Indian Semicon Mission for training and skilling tech workforce for the semiconductor sector.

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