In a landmark step for India’s semiconductor innovation drive, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu has successfully completed the tapeout of two indigenous integrated circuits (ICs), marking a significant milestone in the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The two chips christined as C2S0079 and C2S0080 were unveiled on November 28, 2025, during a special ceremony attended by Hon’ble Minister of Electronics and IT, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The achievement is stated to highlight India’s rapidly growing capabilities in advanced semiconductor research and design, with IIT Jammu emerging as a key academic contributor to national chip innovation.
Led by Dr. Ambika Prasad Shah, the IC-ResQ Lab at IIT Jammu has been working for over five years on foundational semiconductor research that bridges academic theory with practical design development.
The sustained effort involved multiple stages of analog design optimization, low-power architecture validation, and security-driven circuit innovation, leading to a fully realized tapeout of both chips fabricated at the Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali.
The C2S0079 chip is an ultra-low-power, high-gain amplifier developed for use in next-generation medical electronics, particularly implantable medical devices and pacemakers.
Meanwhile, the C2S0080 is a secure 4KB SRAM that mitigates leakage power attacks an emerging threat in hardware-level cybersecurity offering greater protection for sensitive embedded systems.
Institute now accounts for four of the ninety-four chips fabricated under the C2S Programme at SCL, underscoring its growing leadership in semiconductor design research and indigenous technology development.
About the Chips to Startup(C2S) Initiative
The Chips to Startup initiative continues to play a pivotal role in nurturing homegrown semiconductor talent, enabling design-to-fabrication innovation within academic and startup ecosystems. IIT Jammu’s successful tapeouts reinforce the vision of building a resilient, self-reliant, and globally competitive semiconductor industry in India.
Key Comments
Expressing his thoughts on this milestone, Dr. Ambika Prasad Shah stated, “This achievement reflects our dedication to advancing India’s semiconductor design ecosystem through innovation, collaboration, and applied research. The support from MeitY’s C2S Programme and fabrication partnership with SCL Mohali has been instrumental in realizing these outcomes.”
A representative from IIT Jammu commented, “This milestone demonstrates the strength of India’s academic ecosystem in delivering tangible semiconductor outcomes. With continued national support and focused research, IIT Jammu aims to expand work in analog, mixed-signal, and security-driven IC design domains.”
