The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Infineon Technologies have inaugurated the NIELIT-Infineon Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Semiconductor Manufacturing at NIELIT Ahmedabad in Gujarat on 16 September 2026. The Centre was inaugurated virtually by Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Commerce and Industry, in the presence of Infineon Technologies AG Chief Executive Officer Jochen Hanebeck and NIELIT Director General Madan Mohan Tripathi. Built around an industry-grade backend manufacturing training line, the facility aims to create an industry-ready workforce for India’s fast expanding Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) and Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) ecosystem.
What Is the NIELIT-Infineon Centre of Excellence on Semiconductor Manufacturing?
The NIELIT-Infineon Centre of Excellence on Semiconductor Manufacturing is an industry-academia training facility established at NIELIT Ahmedabad at ITI Chandkheda in Gujarat. The Centre was inaugurated virtually on 16 September 2026 by Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Commerce and Industry, during the period of SEMICON India 2026 held in New Delhi from 17 to 19 September 2026. The inauguration was attended by Jochen Hanebeck, Chief Executive Officer of Infineon Technologies AG (as of September 2026), Madan Mohan Tripathi, Director General of NIELIT (as of September 2026), Georg Enzweiler, Charge d’Affaires of Germany in India, and Neha Kumari, Mission Director of the Gujarat State Electronics Mission (GSEM).
The Centre focuses on backend semiconductor manufacturing, which covers assembly and packaging and related processes. It houses a functional training line with industry-grade equipment supplied by Infineon Technologies. The partnership between NIELIT and Infineon began with an understanding signed on 17 March 2025 in the presence of Minister Prasada. NIELIT has stated that the Ahmedabad facility will serve as a model for replication through its pan-India network, creating a scalable approach to semiconductor skilling.
What Is NIELIT?
What is NIELIT? NIELIT stands for the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology, an autonomous scientific society under the administrative control of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). NIELIT is engaged in capacity building and skill development in the field of Information, Electronics and Communications Technology (IECT), conducts formal and non-formal courses, and acts as a national examination and accreditation body.
The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology was earlier known as the DOEACC Society (Department of Electronics and Accreditation of Computer Courses). The MeitY expands to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the nodal ministry for IT, electronics and semiconductor policy. NIELIT is headquartered at NIELIT Bhawan, Dwarka, New Delhi, and was established to build human resources for electronics and IT. The institute operates a wide network of centres across India, with 42 own centres and presence in 56 locations as listed on its official portal, supported by about 900 plus accredited institutes and more than 10,000 facilitation centres for digital literacy.
NIELIT offers courses at multiple levels. In the formal sector, it runs programmes such as Diploma, BCA, B.Tech, MCA, M.Tech and Ph.D in electronics in association with state universities and with approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). In the non-formal sector, it offers the graded O Level (NSQF Level 5), A Level (NSQF Level 6), B Level (NSQF Level 7) and C Level (NSQF Level 8) courses, along with short term courses and IT literacy programmes such as the Course on Computer Concepts (CCC). The NIELIT full form is frequently asked in examinations, and the NIELIT CCC certificate and NIELIT O Level remain among the most searched courses for government and digital literacy requirements. NIELIT also conducts recruitment examinations and online assessments for various government organisations, and maintains a NIELIT Student Portal for registrations and results.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Form | National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology |
| Former Name | DOEACC Society |
| Administrative Ministry | Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) |
| Headquarters | NIELIT Bhawan, Plot No. 3, PSP Pocket, Sector 8, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077 |
| Director General | Madan Mohan Tripathi (as of September 2026) |
| Network | 42 own centres at locations including Ahmedabad, Calicut, Delhi, Chennai, Patna, Gorakhpur and Srinagar plus 900 plus accredited institutes |
| Key Non-Formal Courses | O, A, B, C Levels, CCC, short term niche courses |
What Is the NIELIT Course and Exam System?
The NIELIT course system covers long term formal degrees and short term skill courses. The NIELIT exam is the examination conducted by NIELIT for its O, A, B, C and CCC levels, as well as for third party recruitment. The NIELIT CCC is a foundational digital literacy course, while NIELIT O Level is equivalent to a foundation course in computer applications and is recognised for many government jobs. Results, admit cards and student login services are provided through the NIELIT Student Portal, which sees peak search interest around July each year during admissions and recruitment cycles.
What Is a Semiconductor and Why Is It Important?
What is a semiconductor? A semiconductor is a material whose electrical conductivity lies between a conductor and an insulator, allowing it to switch and control electrical current. Semiconductors are typically made of silicon, and also germanium, gallium arsenide and silicon carbide, and they form the base of all chips, transistors and integrated circuits used in modern electronics.
What is a semiconductor chip? A semiconductor chip, also called an integrated circuit (IC) or microchip, is a small assembly of transistors and circuits built on a thin slice of semiconductor material. Integrated circuit chips are made of silicon wafers on which millions or billions of transistors are patterned through photolithography and then packaged for use.
Semiconductors are important because they power almost every modern system. They are at the heart of mobile phones, computers, automotive electronics, medical devices, power systems, defence equipment, space systems and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Without semiconductors, there would be no computing, connectivity or digital services. For India, domestic capability in semiconductor manufacturing is directly linked to strategic autonomy, supply chain resilience and the growth of electronics manufacturing, which the government seeks to expand under the India Semiconductor Mission.
Semiconductors are made up of Group IV elements such as silicon, often enhanced through doping with Group III or Group V elements to control conductivity. This tunable property is what allows a semiconductor to act as a switch, amplifier and memory cell inside a chip.
How Are Semiconductor Chips Made?
How are semiconductors made? Semiconductor chips are made in two broad stages, front-end wafer fabrication and back-end assembly and packaging. In the front-end, transistors are created on silicon wafers inside ultra-clean fabrication plants (fabs) using steps such as photolithography, deposition, etching and doping.
The flow from wafer to finished chip involves a sequence that students at the Ahmedabad CoE will experience hands-on in the backend stage:
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Wafer Fabrication | Silicon boule is sliced into wafers, transistors are patterned on the wafer in a fab with cleanrooms of Class 1 to 100 |
| Wafer Dicing | The processed wafer is cut into individual dies |
| Die Bonding | Dies are mounted onto leadframes or substrates using die attach machines |
| Wire Bonding | Thin metal wires connect the die to package leads to create electrical paths |
| Moulding | The die and wires are encapsulated in a protective plastic or ceramic compound |
| Trim and Form | Package leads are cut, separated and shaped for mounting |
| Marking and Testing | Chips are laser marked, electrically tested and packed into tape and reel or trays for shipment |
How are semiconductor chips made step by step at the backend is precisely what the NIELIT-Infineon training line demonstrates, moving from die bonding to wire bonding to moulding to trim and form in order.
Inside the Ahmedabad CoE: Equipment and Training Line
The technological core of the Centre is a functional backend semiconductor manufacturing training line supported by eight units of industry-grade equipment provided by Infineon Technologies. The line is designed to give learners exposure to actual factory workflows rather than only classroom theory.
| Equipment | Quantity | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| ASM AD838 Die and Glue Bonder | 2 units | Mounts semiconductor dies onto leadframes or substrates, the die bonding stage |
| SHINKAWA UTC1000 Wire Bonder | 2 units | Establishes electrical connections between the die and package leads |
| BESI FICO Moulding Machine | 2 units | Encapsulates and protects dies and wire bonds with moulding compound |
| BESI FICO Trim and Form Machine | 2 units | Cuts, separates and shapes package leads after moulding |
Together, the eight machines enable sequential practice in die bonding, wire bonding, moulding, trimming and lead forming. The facility allows trainees to operate, maintain and optimise real equipment used in ATMP and OSAT plants, which is essential as India moves from design to volume manufacturing.
The Centre is located at the NIELIT facility in Ahmedabad, within ITI Chandkheda, strengthening Ahmedabad’s emerging role as a semiconductor skilling hub. Ahmedabad already hosts several electronics and industrial clusters and is close to major semiconductor investments in Sanand and Dholera in Gujarat. Access to utilities, industrial land, transport networks and the presence of the Gujarat State Electronics Mission make the location strategic for talent supply to nearby factories.
Who Will Be Trained and What Courses Are Offered?
The Centre is designed for a wide learner base. The NIELIT-Infineon CoE will cater to diploma holders, engineering students, technicians, working professionals, faculty members and researchers. This inclusive approach is meant to address both entry-level skilling and upskilling of existing industry personnel.
Training at the CoE will include short term and long term courses, laboratory modules, faculty development programmes and training-of-trainers initiatives. All curricula will be industry oriented and focused on semiconductor packaging and backend manufacturing. The facility will also support academic projects, internships, equipment demonstrations and collaborative programmes involving colleges, universities and semiconductor companies.
Beyond technical operation of machines, programmes are expected to cover quality control, production management, equipment maintenance and optimisation, which are critical for the yield and reliability of ATMP and OSAT lines. By running faculty development and train-the-trainer courses, the CoE aims to multiply its impact across the NIELIT network so that more instructors can teach semiconductor manufacturing with practical competence. This model aligns with the broader need to convert classroom knowledge into factory-ready skills, a gap that often limits how quickly new semiconductor facilities can reach stable production.
For learners already familiar with NIELIT courses such as O Level, CCC and short term certifications in electronics and information technology, the semiconductor CoE offers a specialised vertical that leads directly to roles in fabrication support, packaging units and testing facilities that are being built across India.
Why Ahmedabad and Why Now? The National Semiconductor Context
The launch of the Ahmedabad CoE comes at a moment when India is expanding semiconductor manufacturing beyond design. Until recently, India’s strength was concentrated in chip design, while fabrication and packaging were concentrated in East Asia. The government now seeks to build a domestic ecosystem that covers fabrication, packaging, testing, materials, chemicals, equipment and skilled manpower.
Gujarat has emerged as the early hub for this build-out. The state’s Semiconductor Policy 2022-27 is the first dedicated state semiconductor policy in India and complements the central schemes. Key projects in Gujarat include Micron Technology’s ATMP facility at Sanand, which celebrated the opening of India’s first semiconductor assembly and test facility on 28 February 2026 with a combined investment of about $2.75 billion and more than 500,000 square feet of cleanroom space, Tata Electronics’ 300 mm fab at Dholera being built with Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) of Taiwan, and additional OSAT and ATMP units at Sanand and Surat such as those by Kaynes Semicon, CG Semi and Suchi Semicon. At SEMICON India 2026, the Prime Minister virtually inaugurated commercial production lines at CDIL Semiconductor in Mohali and Suchi Semicon in Surat, taking the count of operational commercial ATMP units under Semicon 1.0 to five.
Backend manufacturing is particularly relevant now because most of the near-term commercial capacity in India is in ATMP and OSAT, which have moderate capital costs of $100 million to $5 billion compared with $10 billion to $30 billion for a front-end fab. Assembly, testing, marking and packaging is therefore the fastest path to volume production and jobs, but it still requires thousands of technicians who can run die bonders, wire bonders and moulding machines at industrial speed and quality.
| Facility / Project | Location | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micron ATMP | Sanand, Gujarat | ATMP (Assembly and Test) | Commercial production started, scaling to tens of millions of chips in 2026 and hundreds of millions in 2027 |
| Tata Electronics with PSMC | Dholera, Gujarat | 300 mm Fab | Under construction, on track |
| Tata Electronics | Jagiroad, Assam | OSAT | Under construction, on track |
| Kaynes Semicon, CG Semi, Suchi Semicon | Sanand and Surat, Gujarat | OSAT and ATMP | Commercial production operational |
| CDIL Semiconductor | Mohali, Punjab | Discrete devices | Commercial production line inaugurated |
Training capacity must therefore match factory construction, so that skilled operators are ready when cleanrooms become operational.
How Does This CoE Fit with India Semiconductor Mission and Gujarat Policy?
The NIELIT-Infineon CoE complements the objectives of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), the nodal agency within Digital India Corporation under MeitY that implements the Semicon India Programme. The Centre supports the talent development pillar that cuts across all ISM schemes.
The Semicon India Programme 1.0, launched in December 2021 with an outlay of ₹76,000 crore, has four schemes. The Union Cabinet approved Semicon India Programme 2.0 in July 2026 with an outlay of about ₹1,27,500 crore over 12 years, to be driven by six pillars, namely design of chips, machines and materials, setting up more fabs, strengthening ATMP and OSAT, research and development, and talent development.
| Scheme under ISM | Fiscal Support |
|---|---|
| Scheme for setting up of Semiconductor Fabs in India | Up to 50 percent of project cost on pari-passu basis |
| Scheme for setting up of Display Fabs in India | Up to 50 percent of project cost, up to ₹12,000 crore per project |
| Scheme for setting up of Compound Semiconductors, Silicon Photonics, Sensors Fab and ATMP and OSAT facilities | 50 percent of capital expenditure on pari-passu basis |
| Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme | Incentives for chip design linked to product commercialisation |
The Gujarat Semiconductor Policy 2022-27 provides additional support to projects approved by ISM that set up in Gujarat. Eligible projects receive 40 percent of the central capex assistance as additional assistance from the state, along with facilitation for land, utilities such as power, water and gas, and expedited approvals through the Gujarat State Electronics Mission (GSEM). The policy was notified on 28 October 2022 by the Science and Technology Department of the Government of Gujarat. By aligning with both ISM and the state policy, the Ahmedabad CoE helps ensure that fiscal incentives for factories are matched by a pipeline of trained people, without which new capacity cannot be utilised efficiently.
Understanding the distinction between ATMP and OSAT is important for the CoE’s focus.
| Parameter | ATMP (Assembly, Test, Marking and Packaging) | OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The backend process that turns a finished wafer into a usable chip | The business model where a third party firm does ATMP on contract |
| Ownership | Can be captive within an Integrated Device Manufacturer or a generic process term | Independent merchant vendor serving multiple clients |
| Client Base | Internal product lines | Fabless firms, foundries and IDMs on contract |
| Flexibility | Lower, tied to one company’s schedule | Higher, absorbs multi-client demand |
Every OSAT performs ATMP, but not every ATMP is done by an OSAT. The hands-on skills for both are the same, which is why the CoE’s backend line is relevant for both models.
About Infineon Technologies
Infineon Technologies AG is a German semiconductor company headquartered in Neubiberg near Munich, Germany. The company was spun off from Siemens on 1 April 1999 and is listed on XETRA under ticker IFX as a DAX constituent. Infineon specialises in power semiconductors, automotive chips, sensors and security integrated circuits (ICs), with products such as AURIX, TRAVEO, PSoC, CoolMOS and CoolSiC, serving automotive, industrial, power and secure systems.
Infineon Technologies India Private Limited was incorporated in Bangalore on 19 June 1997 and is registered with the Registrar of Companies, Bangalore. The India operations function as a major development and global capability centre, with work ranging from chip and software design to system development, application engineering and customer support. The company had more than 2,500 employees in India (as of September 2026) across Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, with a new SILANE campus at Bagmane Solarium Tech Park in east Bengaluru built for up to 4,500 people by 2030 and about 170,000 square feet of labs. Infineon reported revenue of EUR 14.662 billion for fiscal year 2025 and employs about 57,000 people worldwide (as of September 2026).
In India, Infineon operates on an asset-light approach, working with domestic OSAT and foundry partners rather than building its own fab. The collaboration with NIELIT brings the company’s expertise in manufacturing, assembly, testing and packaging into the training ecosystem, allowing students to learn on the same class of equipment used in production lines.
The Way Forward
The NIELIT-Infineon Centre of Excellence on Semiconductor Manufacturing in Ahmedabad represents a shift from talking about semiconductor potential to building practical capability. As more ATMP and OSAT units move into commercial production and as the Dholera fab progresses, the demand for technicians and engineers who can operate backend equipment will rise sharply.
The immediate task for the Centre is to demonstrate measurable outcomes, including the number of students certified, faculty members trained and industry placements achieved, while keeping curricula updated as packaging technologies evolve toward advanced 3D packaging and heterogeneous integration. The larger significance will depend on whether the Ahmedabad model can be replicated through the NIELIT network so that semiconductor skilling reaches beyond a single city and supports the talent needs of factories in Gujarat, Assam, Punjab and other states.
If the model scales, the Centre will help India move from being a consumer of chips to becoming a trusted source of both chips and chip talent. For India’s electronics value chain, the link between investment in factories and investment in people will determine how quickly new plants become productive and globally competitive.
Key Takeaways
- The NIELIT-Infineon Centre of Excellence on Semiconductor Manufacturing was inaugurated on 16 September 2026 at NIELIT Ahmedabad at ITI Chandkheda, Gujarat, virtually by Jitin Prasada.
- The CoE is a collaboration between NIELIT under MeitY and Infineon Technologies, based on an understanding signed on 17 March 2025, and will serve as a model for replication across the NIELIT network.
- The Centre houses an industry-grade backend training line with eight machines, including 2 ASM AD838 die bonders, 2 SHINKAWA UTC1000 wire bonders, 2 BESI FICO moulding machines and 2 BESI FICO trim and form machines.
- Training focuses on backend processes such as die bonding, wire bonding, moulding, trimming and lead forming for ATMP (Assembly, Test, Marking and Packaging) and OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) operations.
- NIELIT, formerly DOEACC Society, headquartered at Dwarka, New Delhi, is an autonomous society under MeitY with 42 own centres and programmes including O, A, B, C Levels and CCC.
- The CoE supports the India Semiconductor Mission and the Gujarat Semiconductor Policy 2022-27, as India scales up ATMP and OSAT units such as Micron at Sanand and the upcoming Tata Electronics fab at Dholera with PSMC.
