BHUBANESWAR: The emerging semiconductor ecosystem in Odisha is set to create more than 1,280 direct jobs, besides a large pool of indirect employment, with two projects approved under the Semicon India Programme, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Replying to a question from BJP MP Sambit Patra, minister of state for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada said the projects being established by 3D Glass Solutions Inc (3DGS) and SicSem Private Limited are among 12 semiconductor manufacturing projects approved nationally with total investment commitments of about Rs 1.64 lakh crore.
The minister said 3DGS is setting up a vertically integrated facility for advanced packaging and embedded glass substrate manufacturing. The project will have proposed capacities of around 5,800 panels a month for glass panel substrates, 4.2 million units a month for assembly and 1,100 units a month for 3D heterogeneous integration. It is expected to generate more than 280 direct jobs, along with indirect employment in ancillary industries.
Similarly, SicSem is establishing a silicon carbide (SiC)-based compound semiconductor fabrication, and assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) facility, with a fabrication capacity of 5,000 wafers per month and packaging capacity of 8 million units per month. The project has the potential to generate around 1,000 direct jobs and several indirect employment opportunities.
Prasada said semiconductor manufacturing would have a cascading impact on employment across supply chains and other sectors. “To strengthen the talent pipeline, the government is providing free access to expensive electronic design automation (EDA) tools under design-linked incentive schemes. One Odisha-based startup has been approved to access these tools,” he added.
The union minister further said that under the Chip to Startup (C2S) programme, 13 institutions have been supported to develop industry-ready manpower in chip design. These include NIT Rourkela, IIT Bhubaneswar, IIIT Bhubaneswar, KIIT, SOA University, BPUT, Silicon University, VSSUT and other engineering institutions across the state.
He also pointed to the role of NIELIT Bhubaneswar and its Balasore extension centre in semiconductor and chip-design skilling and capacity building. For vocational training, Prasada said the Rs 60,000-crore PM-SETU scheme envisages upgrading 1,000 government ITIs through industry partnerships, including modern laboratories, smart classrooms and industry-aligned courses. The scheme also includes capacity augmentation of the National Skill Training Institute in Bhubaneswar and the creation of sector-specific centres of excellence.
The selection of ITIs under the PM-SETU scheme is led by the respective state governments in consultation with industry, ensuring alignment with emerging skill needs and local industrial potential.
