Lam Research + ISM + IISc: 60,000 Semiconductor Fabrication Engineers Targeted Over 10 Years
Lam Research signed a tripartite MoU with ISM and IISc for nationwide deployment of Semiverse Solutions — virtual fab simulation software — contributing $29 million in software licences. IISc trains the trainers. ISM funds infrastructure. Target: 60,000 semiconductor fabrication engineers over 10 years.
Lam Research, the US semiconductor equipment company (deposition, etch, clean tools), signed a tripartite MoU with the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for the broad deployment of Semiverse Solutions — virtual nanofabrication simulation software — to key universities across India. The partnership builds on a successful pilot at IISc’s Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE).
Structure: Lam Research contributed $29 million in software licences. ISM supports infrastructure and operational costs. IISc trains the trainers at selected universities. Target: 60,000 semiconductor fabrication engineers trained over 10 years, covering semiconductor modelling, process design, automation, and integration.
The Lam + ISM + IISc programme addresses the front-end engineering gap: India’s 315 C2S institutions train chip designers (EDA tools, Synopsys/Cadence/Siemens). Lam’s Semiverse trains process engineers who understand what happens inside the fab — how etch and deposition tools work, how to model process behaviour, how to design for manufacturability. These are different roles at different levels of the semiconductor stack.
Lam separately announced it is exploring India-based suppliers for precision components, custom parts, high-purity gas delivery systems, and other assemblies that go into semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment — a direct signal of intent to localise its supply chain alongside the training partnership.
The Lam + IISc partnership and the ISM 2.0 Pillar 6 training centre scheme (₹1,000 crore) address different layers of the talent gap. Lam/IISc targets process engineers — the engineers who design and optimise semiconductor manufacturing processes. Pillar 6 training centres target operators and technicians — the people who run the machines on the production floor. Both are needed. For institutions building ISM 2.0 training centre applications, Pillar 6 (operators and technicians) is the lane — not Lam/IISc (process engineers). Knowing the distinction is essential to writing a focused, credible ISM 2.0 application rather than a generic one that attempts to cover both and convinces reviewers of neither.