With an aim to empower homegrown semiconductor startups, chipmaker Qualcomm India will collaborate with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's (MeitY) Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), a statement said on Friday. The collaboration will support a group of promising semiconductor design startups, as a part of the government and the industry's ongoing efforts to encourage innovation in the semiconductor space in India.

"There is a huge opportunity for Indian semiconductor startups due to the incentives provided by the Government," Rajen Vagadia, VP and President of Qualcomm India & SAARC, said in a statement.

"Qualcomm India is committed to helping semiconductor design startups capitalise on India's design and engineering talent to drive innovations that will power the intelligent, connected future we foresee, not only for India but the world," he added.

Qualcomm India plans to initiate and conduct the Qualcomm Semiconductor Mentorship Programme 2022 for select startups from the semiconductor space in India, with intent to provide and facilitate mentorship, technical training, and industry outreach.

Under this collaboration, C-DAC and Qualcomm India intend to work towards nurturing technical advancements and intellectual-property-driven innovation and product development required for semiconductor design in the Indian ecosystem.

It is also planning to work towards help reduce risks in innovation, accelerate the pace of business development, and develop soft skills and knowledge base of Indian startups engaged in semiconductor design.

Qualcomm India will shortlist up to 10 Indian semiconductor startups. Each shortlisted startup will be paired with a Qualcomm India leader for mentorship on product planning and development. The startup and the mentor will meet periodically either in person or through online meetings.

"The semiconductor industry is crucial for the growth of many other industries. We encourage Indian startups to come forward and meet the current and projected domestic demand for semiconductors with the support of Government-led programmes such as aMake in India' and the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme," said E. Magesh, Director-General C-DAC.