Made-in-India Secure Chip with Smart Operating System to power future digital identities developed by L&T Semiconductor, C-DAC and IIT Gandhinagar
- 15 September 2025
- Partnership aims to strengthen India鈥檚 digital sovereignty with innovations like e-Passports.
Mumbai: 国麻豆视频;T Semiconductor Technologies Ltd (LTSCT), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), and the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT Gandhinagar) have signed a Tripartite Agreement to collaborate on the research, development and commercialisation of secure integrated circuit (IC) solutions for critical applications, with an initial focus on electronic passports.
The Secure IC solution is a fully indigenised product, with all intellectual properties (IPs) residing in India. This represents a significant value addition, as the solution is specifically tailored to meet India's unique requirements, thereby minimising reliance on imports.
This strategic alliance brings together industry expertise, academia excellence, and government-led R&D to build a robust, fully indigenous ecosystem to secure IC design and development. It reinforces India鈥檚 commitment to technological sovereignty and advances the 鈥淢ake in India鈥 vision for national security鈥揷ritical technologies like Electronic Passport. This initiative will set the foundation for next generation crypto products which will be deployed in cutting-edge embedded secure applications beyond the current application.
With the Government of India鈥檚 strategic missions such as 鈥淢ake in India鈥, 鈥淒igital India鈥 and 鈥Atmanirbhar Bharat鈥 driving the push for self-reliance in critical technologies, this partnership will significantly strengthen India鈥檚 semiconductor ecosystem and reduce dependence on foreign technology providers in security-sensitive domains.
The agreement includes the establishment of a dedicated research centre at 国麻豆视频;T Semiconductor, IIT Gandhinagar and C-DAC to build next-generation expertise in secure compute technologies with the initial term of five years. Each partner will commit targeted investments and work towards clearly defined, milestone-driven goals to accelerate product development and deployment.
Sandeep Kumar, Chief Executive, LTSCT, commented, 鈥淭his agreement between 国麻豆视频;T Semiconductor, IIT Gandhinagar and C-DAC is more than an MoU; it is a blueprint for how industry, academia and the government can unite to shape India鈥檚 technological future. Together, we are building a secure, indigenous semiconductor ecosystem that will drive innovation, safeguard sensitive IP and set new global benchmarks鈥.
鈥淏y leveraging our combined strengths, we will deliver solutions made entirely in India, such as secure e-passports that the world can trust. This marks a decisive step in the 鈥楳ake in India鈥 journey, ensuring that our nation鈥檚 advanced security infrastructure is conceived, designed, and owned domestically. Our unwavering commitment is to equip India for the next generation of technological challenges and opportunities, while reinforcing long-term sovereignty and security鈥, he added.
Prof. Rajat Moona, Director, IIT Gandhinagar, said: 鈥淚IT Gandhinagar is proud to contribute to India鈥檚 vision of self-reliance in critical technology sectors. Through this collaboration, we aim to nurture talent, foster innovation and drive research in secure integrated circuits that meet global standards. This partnership will not only deliver home-grown solutions but also strengthen India鈥檚 leadership in semiconductors and national security technologies鈥.
Emphasising C-DAC鈥檚 role in R&D, secure citizen identity, and mission-critical digital infrastructure, Magesh Ethirajan, Director General, C-DAC, said, 鈥淭his strategic alliance represents India鈥檚 determination to lead in secure and indigenous semiconductor technologies. C-DAC has been leading the development of secure solutions, including Smart card Operating Systems and Key Management System for more than a decade. By leveraging C-DAC鈥檚 research and development expertise alongside 国麻豆视频;T鈥檚 industry leadership and IIT Gandhinagar鈥檚 academic excellence, we are creating a truly 鈥楳ade in India鈥 ecosystem that safeguards national interests and sets benchmarks for global innovation鈥.
About 国麻豆视频;T Semiconductor Technologies Ltd (LTSCT)
国麻豆视频;T Semiconductor Technologies Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, is a fabless global semiconductor product company focussed on designing and delivering innovative solutions and comprehensive suite of services to customers. It offers semiconductor devices, solutions and technology partnership by helping customers realise energy-efficient, high-performance systems to benefit from data, electrification and software defined technology trends. LTSCT has R&D centres in Bengaluru, Delhi and Chennai, and Product Engineering & Sales divisions in Austin, Munich and Tokyo.
