Career Opportunities: Recently, India has built its first space-grade computer chip for rockets, called Vikram-32. The semiconductor industry is the backbone of modern technology, be it smartphones, laptops, electric vehicles, or cutting-edge systems like artificial intelligence and IoT. Due to government schemes like 'Digital India', 'Make in India', and 'India Semiconductor Mission', this sector has brought immense opportunities for the youth. According to a report, this industry is set to create an additional 10 lakh jobs in various sectors by 2026.

With the rapidly growing global demand and expansion of digital infrastructure, this is the best time for you to adopt this sector as a career option. Here is how you can take advantage of this golden opportunity and prepare yourself to make a career in this field.

Understand the semiconductor ecosystem.

First of all, it is important to know what semiconductors actually are. This industry is divided into stages such as design, fabrication, packaging, and testing. Also, develop an understanding of the difference between a chip designer and a manufacturer, how design tools like CAD and VLSI work, and the role of fabrication labs.

From certificate course to PhD

After doing B.Tech/BE in Electronics, Electrical, Instrumentation, Computer Science, VLSI Design, you can do M.Tech/ME in Microelectronics, Semiconductor Physics, Embedded Systems. There is also an option for a PhD for research.

You can do a diploma course in VLSI Design, Semiconductor Manufacturing, or a certificate course in Chip Design, PCB Design, ASIC, or FPGA. NPTEL, Skill India (apprenticeshipindia.gov.in), and SWAYAM platform (swayam.gov.in) offer short-term courses and apprentice training programmes for semiconductor technicians and operators. Reputed institutes like IITs and NITs offer online/offline advanced diploma courses ranging from six months to one year.

Internships and training

Institutions like ISRO, DRDO, BEL, and Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) offer internships and project work opportunities to students pursuing engineering or equivalent courses. Institutions like Intel India, Micron, Qualcomm, Electronics Labs of IITs/NITs and C-DAC, SAMEER, IISc, Bangalore also offer similar programmes.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Amar Ujala. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.