Key Points

During this session, Gujarat introduced the theme "From Vision to Velocity," which aims to enhance the semiconductor workforce as part of the Vibrant Regional Conference initiatives.

The synergy of industry and education for Gujarat's semiconductor talent took centre stage at the VGRC in Mehsana. Notably, VGRC is being held at Ganpat University in Mehsana, North Gujarat, as stated in the release.

On October 9, a successful Workforce Development Session was organised. The theme of this session was "Workforce Development for Semiconductor Chips: From Vision to Velocity," strategically focusing on strengthening the state's talent ecosystem to support Gujarat's growing semiconductor industry.

According to the release, this conference highlighted Gujarat's strong resolve to establish itself as a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing and design. Distinguished dignitaries were present at the event, where S. Aparna, CEO of GRIT, emphasised the state's leading role in the semiconductor ecosystem and stressed the importance of improving educational systems to strengthen Gujarat's semiconductor talent.

It is significant that India's Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, while addressing the main event, also highlighted the national need for skilled talent in this crucial sector.

Additionally, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology P. Bharathi, Director of Gujarat State Electronics Mission Neha Kumari, Director of the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM) Manish Hooda, and Vice Chancellor of Gati Shakti University Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Chaudhary also shared their insights through various presentations during the session.

To strengthen the synergy between education and industry, two engaging panel discussions were organised. The first panel, "Building Gujarat's Semiconductor Talent Pipeline," was moderated by Nilesh Ranpura, Director of ASIC at eInfochips.

Experts from leading institutions and companies discussed strategies to strengthen Gujarat's semiconductor talent ecosystem, presenting strong ideas and insights on industry expectations, skill gaps, curriculum modernisation, and advanced manufacturing skills.

The panel discussion included participants such as Dr S. S. Manoharan, DG, PDEU; Prof. Nihar Mahapatra, IIT Gandhinagar; Shahbaaz Saiyed, Head TA, Micron Semiconductor Technology India; Dr Rajgopalan Pandey, Assistant Professor, NAMTECH; and Dr Kamaljeet Singh, Director General, SCL.

In this important session, IIT Gandhinagar Director Prof. Rajat Moona delivered his address and participated in the exchange of MoUs. These MoUs included collaborations for the Gujarat Government's Samarth Project with IIT Gandhinagar, Digantara for their new facility, Gati Shakti University, and several banks.

Additionally, a partnership between Monk9 and Nirma University was also established for workforce development. In the final session titled "Collaboration for Innovation," moderated by Dr Anurag Kandiya, Associate Professor at PDEU, discussions centred on facilitating effective collaboration between academia and industry.

The panellists shared insights on international cooperation, joint research and development, advanced packaging skills, and initiatives for the fab workforce.

An interactive question-and-answer session followed, featuring participants such as Matsuno San(JICA), Marmik Bhatt (CEO, Monk9), Montu Makadia (Senior Advisor, SFAL), Dr Wasi Uddin, Head of R&D, Kaynes, Sheetal Mehta (Director, Sudhee Semicon), and Prof. Amitabh Jain (Professor of Practice, TEPL).

- ANI