The Indian government will invest Rs 4,500 crore over the next three years to modernise the Mohali-based Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced at a device-handling ceremony.

SCL, an autonomous body under MeitY, is India’s only integrated device manufacturing facility capable of delivering end-to-end solutions for ASICs, opto-electronics, and MEMS devices. The Centre has requested a 25- acre land parcel from the Punjab government to support the expansion. The modernisation initiative is part of the Rs 76,000-crore India Semiconductor Mission, and SCL has already floated tenders to onboard vendors for the upgrade.

During the event, Minister Vaishnaw distributed 28 chips designed by various institutions and startups that were fabricated at SCL using its 180 nm technology node. The facility has received 94 chip design submissions through the government’s chips-to-startup program, along with two additional designs from collaborations with DA-IICT and VIT.