India requires three lakh chip experts by 2030, says SRM Vice-Chancellor

India will need about three lakh skilled workers for the semiconductor sector by the year 2030, according to C. Muthamizhchelvan, the Vice-Chancellor of SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Speaking at the Semiconductor Summit 2026 in Chennai, he stated that the global demand will reach roughly one million professionals in this period. While India currently produces about one in every five chip designers worldwide, the domestic market must expand beyond design work into fabrication, packaging, testing, and equipment handling.

Market Needs And Research

The domestic semiconductor market has already crossed a valuation of $50 billion, yet the country still imports the vast majority of its chips. Muthamizhchelvan noted that simply building factories will not solve this shortfall without proper ideas, designs, and trained personnel. He urged academic institutions to shift their focus away from traditional research publications and instead measure success through commercial patents, working prototypes, and market-ready products. To bridge this gap, SRM is currently aligning its curriculum with national missions in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and semiconductors, allowing students to earn academic credits by solving actual industry problems.

Global Models And Collaboration

Building a robust domestic ecosystem requires moving past the status of a pure consumer to become an active creator of technology, drawing inspiration from collaborative models seen in countries like Taiwan, South Korea, and Germany. The SRM head invited private companies to partner with academic institutions by setting up joint laboratories, sharing guidance for advanced research degrees, and jointly filing patents. Successful semiconductor development relies on expertise across physics, chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, mechanical design, and computing rather than electronics alone.

Context

Semiconductors serve as the critical hardware base for nearly all modern electronics, ranging from smartphones and cars to medical equipment and defense systems. Developing a local supply chain reduces reliance on foreign imports and protects the country from global supply chain disruptions. Educational partnerships between universities and private tech firms represent a common strategy used by emerging technology hubs to accelerate domestic innovation.