Beyond design: How Tokyo Electron, Infineon and Micron are building India's fab workforce

India has no shortage of semiconductor engineers. For years, its engineers have been designing chips, writing verification code, and working on sophisticated semiconductor technologies for companies around the world. But as multi-billion-dollar fabs and packing plants finally rise across the country, the real test isn't just laying out concrete and building high-tech cleanrooms. It is supplying the specialised workforce needed to run them.

India has begun building that talent pipeline through specialised technical programmes, including a B.Tech in Electronics (VLSI Design and Technology) and a Diploma in Integrated Circuit (IC) Manufacturing by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). But a notable trend has emerged as some of the world's biggest semiconductor technology companies are stepping to bring real world manufacturing knowledge to students who could eventually work in India's new plants.

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Tokyo Electron: Setting up semiconductor training centre

The most direct contribution is coming from the companies that make the equipment used inside semiconductor factories. Tokyo Electron (TEL), the Japanese semiconductor equipment maker, aims to establish a specialised talent pipeline for India’s expanding chip manufacturing industry and will set up a semiconductor training centre in Gujarat next year.

Toshiki Kawai, president and CEO of Tokyo Electron said that the company wants to contribute to the semiconductor industry in India, utilising their expertise such as largest install based in the world and largest patent in the semiconductor equipment industry.

“In particular, developing semiconductor talent including future fab engineers and equipment engineers is critically important for the sustainable growth of the industry in India. That is why, in partnership with the government of Japan, Tokyo Electron plan to establish a training centre in Gujarat next year,” Kawai said.

Infineon: Bringing factory floor to classroom

Infineon Technologies is taking a similar approach and bringing the factory floor itself into the training environment. The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with Infineon Technologies, has set up the NIELIT–Infineon Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Semiconductor Manufacturing at NIELIT, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

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The CoE will establish a functional, industry-grade backend semiconductor manufacturing training line, supported by eight units of industry-grade semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided by Infineon Technologies. The facility will provide students, faculty members, researchers and working professionals with practical exposure to semiconductor manufacturing equipment and processes.

Micron: Nurturing the grassroot talent

For Micron Research Labs, the approach extends beyond manufacturing operations to the research and university pipeline that feeds the industry. The company to boost India’s semiconductor manufacturing ambitions with an Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP) in Sanand, Gujarat. It is also expanding its research and university engagement in the country.

Micron is also now extending its global research network to India. Through the University Research Alliance, the company works with 20 universities across the country on sponsored research and credit-bearing design courses, giving students the opportunity to work on industry-linked research before they enter the workforce.

“Through the Micron Foundation, our chip camps, STEM labs, and AI for all programmes, we reach children, tens of thousands of children long before they are in a university,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron during Semicon India 2026.