Why in News?
The Government of India has released performance outcomes of the Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme, showcasing:
• High student enrolment,
• Shared wafer runs,
• Student-designed chips, and
• Patent generation under the programme.

What is the Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme?
About
• Umbrella capacity-building initiative launched in 2022 by MeitY.
• Outlay: ₹250 crore over five years.
• Covers academic institutions across India.

Objectives / Targets
• Develop 85,000 industry-ready professionals across UG/PG/PhD levels.
• Incubate 25 start-ups.
• Enable 10 technology transfers.
• Provide SMART lab access.
• Train 1 lakh students.
• Generate 50 patents.
• Support 2,000 research publications.

Impact
• Boosts innovation & employability.
• Strengthens academia’s role in the Indian semiconductor value chain.
• Builds foundation for Aatmanirbhar Bharat in semiconductors.
• Enhances India’s global competitiveness.

Programme Approach
A hands-on, ecosystem-driven model combining:
• Academic curriculum
• Industry-led training
• Mentorship
• Multi-year semiconductor R&D projects
Institutional framework includes:
• ChipIN Centre (C-DAC Bengaluru)
• NIELIT SMART Labs
• Participating colleges/universities
Provides end-to-end exposure to:
• Chip design
• Fabrication
• Testing
Using advanced EDA tools and workflows for ASICs, SoCs, and IP cores.

Chip Fabrication Under C2S
• Student chip designs aggregated quarterly.
• Designs validated & combined into shared wafers.
• Fabricated at 180 nm node at Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali.
• Chips are then packaged & delivered to students for testing and innovation.

Support Ecosystem
• ChipIN Centre provides centralised technical support.
• Over 4,855 support tickets resolved.
• Enables continuous design refinement and large-scale hands-on exposure.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)
Prelims:
Q. Which one of the following laser types is used in a laser printer? (2008)
(a) Dye laser
(b) Gas laser
(c) Semiconductor laser
(d) Excimer laser
Ans: (c)
Q. With reference to solar power production in India, consider the following statements: (2018)

1. India is the third largest in the world in the manufacture of silicon wafers used in photovoltaic units.
2. The solar power tariffs are determined by the Solar Energy Corporation of India.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
   (a) 1 only
   (b) 2 only
   (c) Both 1 and 2
   (d) Neither 1 nor 2
   Ans: (d)

UPSC Prelims Practice Questions: C2S Programme

Q. With reference to the Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme, consider the following statements:

1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
2. It aims to develop more than 80,000 industry-ready semiconductor professionals.
3. It focuses only on incubating semiconductor start-ups and does not include academic training.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
   (a) 1 and 2 only
   (b) 2 and 3 only
   (c) 1 and 3 only
   (d) 1, 2 and 3
   ANS: (a) 1 and 2 only

Q. Under the C2S Programme, fabrication of student-designed chips is carried out at:
(a) Bharat Electronics Ltd., Bengaluru
(b) Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali
(c) ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
(d) Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune
ANS: (b) SCL, Mohali

Q. Consider the following targets of the C2S Programme:

1. Incubation of 25 start-ups
2. Generation of 50 patents
3. Training of one lakh students
4. Fabrication of chips at 65 nm node
   Which of the above are correct?
   (a) 1, 2 and 3 only
   (b) 2 and 4 only
   (c) 1 and 3 only
   (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
   ANS: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only