IIT Madras joins Applied Materials India to boost India's semiconductor innovation

New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Thursday announced a partnership with Applied Materials India to deploy the AppliedTwin digital twin framework to advance cutting-edge semiconductor research and workforce development. 

The AppliedTwin platform is a sophisticated digital twin solution designed to model and optimise semiconductor manufacturing equipment and processes, the institute said.

On Thursday, a hands-on workshop on AppliedTwin was conducted at IIT Madras, drawing participation from more than 150 students and faculty members. IIT Madras and the Tamil Nadu government are planning to establish a semiconductor fabrication facility with integrated reliability and packaging capabilities.

Deployment of AppliedTwin digital framework at IIT Madras marks a major leap toward strengthening India’s semiconductor R&D infrastructure and building an industry-ready workforce, the release said.

Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said that the AppliedTwin™ framework will enable faculty and students to accelerate concept creation, prototyping, testing, and process exploration virtually, thereby reducing R&D cost and time significantly.

"By integrating advanced digital twin technologies into our curriculum and research, we aim to contribute significantly to the country’s goal of becoming a global hub for semiconductor design and manufacturing," Kamakoti said.

The foundational software powering AppliedTwin™ is designed to foster collaboration and build an innovation network across suppliers, government, customers, and R&D institutions—supporting the development of India’s semiconductor ecosystem.

The software solution offered to IIT Madras includes a multi-physics modelling tool, and TOPO+, a topography simulator.

Students across institutions and MSMEs can access the software through the IITM platform, through Swayam Plus, the release noted.

With access to virtualised semiconductor process experimentation, students and researchers will gain hands-on understanding of real fabrication workflows before India’s physical FAB infrastructure reaches full scale, the institute said.

--IANS

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