Photo Credit: NIELIT India
The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) and German semiconductor company Infineon Technologies have inaugurated a Centre of Excellence for Semiconductor Manufacturing in Ahmedabad, strengthening India–Germany cooperation in advanced technology and workforce development.
Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada virtually inaugurated the centre on September 16, 2026.
The ceremony was attended by Infineon Technologies AG CEO Jochen Hanebeck; NIELIT Director General Dr. Madan Mohan Tripathi; German Chargé d’Affaires Georg Enzweiler; Gujarat State Electronics Mission Director Neha Kumari; and representatives from the government, industry and semiconductor sector.
Focus on practical semiconductor training
Established at NIELIT Ahmedabad, the centre will provide industry-oriented education and hands-on training in backend semiconductor manufacturing, particularly assembly, packaging and related processes.
The facility is intended for engineering students, diploma holders, technicians, researchers, faculty members and working professionals. Its programmes will help participants understand the equipment and processes used in industrial semiconductor manufacturing.
Minister Prasada said India’s expanding semiconductor ecosystem would require a skilled and industry-ready workforce. He noted that the placement of production equipment in the hands of Indian students and faculty reflected Infineon’s confidence in the capabilities and potential of the country’s young talent.
He said those trained at the centre could help strengthen India’s capabilities in semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging, and eventually emerge as leaders in the sector.
Infineon provides industry-grade equipment
Infineon has provided eight units of semiconductor manufacturing equipment that will form the technological core of the centre’s backend manufacturing training line.
These include two die and glue bonders for mounting semiconductor dies on leadframes or substrates, two wire bonders for establishing electrical connections, two moulding machines for encapsulating and protecting semiconductor dies, and two trim-and-form machines used to separate and shape the leads of moulded semiconductor packages.
Together, the machines will give trainees practical exposure to sequential manufacturing operations such as die bonding, wire bonding, moulding, trimming and lead forming.
The centre will also support short- and long-term training courses, laboratory modules, faculty development programmes, training-of-trainers initiatives and industry-oriented curricula. It is expected to facilitate internships, academic projects, equipment demonstrations and collaboration between educational institutions and semiconductor companies.
India a strategic market for Infineon
Hanebeck described India as an important strategic growth market for Infineon and a vital part of the German company’s global innovation network.
He said Infineon intends to contribute to India’s semiconductor ambitions, strengthen its innovation ecosystem and support the country’s expanding role in the global semiconductor value chain.
According to Hanebeck, the collaboration combines NIELIT’s educational network with Infineon’s experience in semiconductor manufacturing, assembly, testing and packaging. The partnership is designed to make industry-aligned training available at a larger scale.
Dr. Tripathi said the centre would help bridge the gap between academic education and the changing technical requirements of semiconductor manufacturing.
The partnership dates to March 17, 2025, when NIELIT and Infineon signed their initial understanding in the presence of Minister Prasada. NIELIT now plans to develop the Ahmedabad centre as a model that could be replicated through its wider national network.
Semiconductor skills add to India–Germany technology partnership
The inauguration comes as India works to expand its semiconductor fabrication, Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging, and Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test capabilities under the India Semiconductor Mission.
The development of trained engineers and technicians will be critical as semiconductor projects move from investment and construction to production.
Infineon’s participation adds an industry and skills dimension to the growing India–Germany technology partnership. Speaking separately at SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi on September 17, Georg Enzweiler described the event as an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the semiconductor sector.
The Ahmedabad centre reflects how bilateral cooperation can move beyond policy discussions and investment commitments towards practical training, technology exposure and the development of a workforce capable of supporting India’s emerging semiconductor manufacturing base.
