24 DLI Chip Designs Propel India Toward Fabless Semiconductor Leadership

India’s semiconductor ambitions advance with 24 new chip design projects approved under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, covering video surveillance, drone detection, energy meters, microprocessors, satellite communications, broadband gateways, and IoT Systems-on-Chip (SoCs). The Rs 76,000 crore MeitY programme also provides 95 companies with industry-grade Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, dramatically cutting infrastructure barriers for startups and MSMEs entering the high-value design space.

Fabless Design Drives 50 Percent Value Addition

Semiconductor chip design accounts for up to 50 percent of supply chain value addition and 30-35 percent of global sales through fabless models, making DLI a strategic priority for IP ownership and import reduction. C-DAC, as nodal agency under Semicon India Programme, has facilitated 16 tape-outs, 6 ASIC chips fabricated, 10 patents filed, and engagement of over 1,000 engineers while attracting more than three times private investment leverage. These milestones signal rapid maturation from validation to commercial viability.

From EDA Access to Market Deployment

EDA tool access democratises professional workflows previously reserved for well-funded incumbents, enabling cost-effective iteration and scaling for domestic innovators. The scheme supports the full lifecycle — design, IP development, fabrication partnerships, system integration, and productisation — positioning Indian firms to compete globally without core technology dependence. By owning design IP, India attracts downstream manufacturing while retaining economic value domestically.

Chips to Startup Trains 85,000 Specialists

Complementing DLI, the Chips to Startup (C2S) programme mobilises academic institutions nationwide to produce 85,000 B.Tech, M.Tech, and PhD graduates specialised in chip design. MeitY’s institutional framework integrates policy incentives, talent pipelines, capacity building, and indigenous microprocessor architectures for end-to-end self-reliance. These coordinated efforts transform India from electronics assembler to semiconductor innovator, with approved projects paving the path to volume production and international leadership.