Lam Research has announced that it will expand its Semiverse Solutions virtual infrastructure to 20 universities in India with the aim of upskilling thousands of semiconductor engineers.
The initiative aims to train 60,000 engineers over the next decade, and while this year’s program will impact 2,600 students, Lam plans to scale it up even further.
“We have received applications from 75 universities and this is just the beginning. As we expand our infrastructure, we hope to increase participation and continue contributing to India’s semiconductor ecosystem,” Rangesh Raghavan, corporate vice president and general manager, Lam Research India, told Business Standard in an interview at the Semicon India event on Wednesday.
About the criteria for selection of universities for the programme, he said the universities are a mix of private and public and have been selected based on factors like NIRF ranking, presence of existing semiconductor courses, student population etc. Geographical distribution has also been taken into consideration to ensure nationwide coverage.
“We want to maximize the scope and focus of the program to ensure broad participation. Our strategic selection of universities ensures that students across India have access to advanced semiconductor training,” Raghavan explained.
Commenting on the need for such training solutions, Raghavan said the traditional way of training engineers in physical labs is not scalable in India. “There are only a handful of labs capable of training semiconductor engineers and they are unable to meet the industry demand. Virtual platforms provide a solution by giving students access to advanced semiconductor processes through simulations, significantly reducing the costs associated with physical labs,” he said.
Following the success of a pilot program at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Lam Research has signed a tripartite agreement with the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and IISc to expand the program.
The company is contributing $29 million for software licenses for its virtual training suite, ISM will bear the infrastructure costs of some universities, and IISc will implement a ‘train the trainer’ model to educate faculty from 20 universities.
Speaking about the broader impact of virtualization, Raghavan said the complex equipment used by global semiconductor giants such as Intel and Samsung is essential to the manufacturing process but is inaccessible to many. “We are virtualizing these processes and making them accessible to students in a fast and scalable manner. This will democratize semiconductor education across India,” he added.
Further explaining the technology, David Freed, corporate vice president, Semiconductor Solutions, Lam Research, said, “We’re bringing the same platform used internally for some of the semiconductor industry’s toughest challenges to education. It allows students to virtually experiment with advanced semiconductor tools, gaining hands-on experience without the need for a physical lab.”
First Published: 11 September 2024 | 9:03 PM IST
