SEMI and IDTA Plan India Semiconductor Academy for Job-Ready Training

22 September 2026: SEMI and the India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) announced plans for the India Semiconductor Academy recently. The proposed national platform would connect education with practical training and employment in chip design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, rather than operate as an already-established academy.

The announcement distributed by NewsVoir sets out a planning exercise, with governance, funding and implementation still to be defined. SEMI and IDTA intend to consult employers, universities, technical institutions, training centres and laboratories before establishing the platform.

What would the India Semiconductor Academy offer?

The partners propose training that covers the full workforce, including technicians, equipment operators, design and manufacturing engineers, researchers and materials scientists. Hands-on work would address process operations, facilities, maintenance, packaging, testing, quality and safety.

The plan is expected to include:

• An annually updated forecast of skills demand by role, capability and location.
• Industry-validated occupational standards and stackable credentials for priority jobs.
• Access to shared laboratories, tools and simulation environments.
• Apprenticeships, on-the-job training and employment-linked pathways.
• Annual reporting on proficiency, placement, retention and employer satisfaction.

The proposed standards would cover design and fabrication as well as assembly, testing, marking, packaging and equipment operations. This gives the planning exercise a wider scope than graduate engineering courses alone, with technicians and operators explicitly included.

The emphasis on practical learning sits alongside existing efforts such as Chips to Startups training. The academy proposal extends beyond design education to the operational skills needed inside fabrication, assembly and testing facilities.

Industry and academic participants

The release names Cadence, CG Semi, Dixon Technologies, Micron Technology, Synopsys and 3D Glass Solutions, alongside the University of California San Diego and IIT Kanpur, as intended participants.

IDTA describes itself as an industry-led consortium of Indian and global investors supporting deep-tech entrepreneurship. SEMI would bring its experience of employer-led workforce programmes, with the partners adapting those approaches to India’s institutions and hiring needs.

Arun Kumar, chairman of IDTA’s executive committee, said in the release: “Talent is the longest lead-time input in semiconductor development.” The proposal responds to that concern by seeking to prepare workers alongside industrial capacity, rather than after facilities need them.

Screen Print India’s coverage of the Tata Electronics–ASML partnership provides related context on domestic talent development within manufacturing collaborations.

What happens before the academy can start?

SEMI and IDTA plan to establish a joint working process to define the institutional structure, curriculum priorities and phased rollout. The resulting plan would identify public support, industry contributions in cash and in kind, access to facilities and expertise, and programme revenues needed to sustain operations.

The release presents the academy as complementary to the India Semiconductor Mission’s training objectives. For policy background, see Screen Print India’s coverage of India Semiconductor Mission 2.0.

SEMI and IDTA will establish a joint working process and consult with industry and academic partners as they develop the plan for the proposed Academy. The resulting plan will define the institutional structure and commitments required for its establishment, including public support, industry contributions in cash and in kind, access to facilities and expertise and sustainable programme revenues over time.