Semicon companies shift focus, eye niche campus talent

BENGALURU: Over the past few years, semiconductor companies have adopted a more targeted and focused strategy for campus hiring. While traditionally they followed conventional campus recruitment methods, the niche nature of the sector and limited candidate numbers have pushed these companies to collaborate closely with premier institutions like the IITs, NITs, and IISc to handpick engineering graduates.Delta Electronics, for example, runs a specialized program called the Delta Class— a curriculum tailored to their specific requirements. Students who undergo this training become eligible for placements, explained Niranjan Nayak, the company's India managing director. "Around 20% of our hiring comes directly from campuses, and these focused cohorts are quite beneficial," Nayak told TOI. The company recruits about 40 fresh graduates annually.

Marvell Technologies hires roughly 100 students from colleges each year, with a significant portion coming through its internship programs. Beyond hiring, these companies also engage in collaborative design and development projects with academic institutions. Delta Electronics, for instance, partners with IISc, supported by the Department of Science and Technology, to develop compact, fast-charging electric vehicles.

Similarly, Marvell has teamed up with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Hyderabad to launch a Data Acceleration and Offload Research Facility. Inaugurated in early 2025, this facility offers joint courses and practical training, giving students access to Marvell's cutting-edge data processor units (DPUs), switches, CXL processors, and network interface controllers (NICs) to foster advancements in AI, networking, and security.Renesas collaborates with select colleges on chip design and PCB layout. "We have a partnership with IIT Hyderabad for an embedded design course, and we aim to expand this to 270 colleges. We'll follow the talent wherever it is," said Malini Narayanmoorthi, the company's India head. Renesas hires 80 freshers annually and plans to increase that to 150 next year. Satya Gupta, president of the VLSI Society of India, believes this is just the start.

"Rather than limiting it to one company-academic tie-up, expanding collaborations with multiple companies and institutions will boost talent development," he said. Universities are also stepping up efforts to bridge the skills gap by engaging with industry players. Recently, VIT signed an agreement with the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand to enable students to attend a bridge course in semiconductor design.

This program aims to provide practical industry exposure by allowing students to experience work environments in Taiwan and other parts of Asia.IIIT Hyderabad offers a distinctive Embedded Systems Workshop (ESW), where Qualcomm provides real-world problem statements and mentors students throughout the course. Qualcomm also supplies advanced hardware kits so students can implement solutions on mobile platforms.

Texas Instruments has designed a course focused on analogue and digital roles, while Qualcomm's offering centres on design. Allegro Micro Systems has introduced a course on verification and design, and Blaize Semiconductors has developed a design-focused program.

Additionally, Ola Electric delivers a VLSI course at IIIT Hyderabad.According to IESA data, high-demand fresher roles include verification engineers, embedded firmware and board validation specialists, and analogue and mixed-signal engineers, with salary packages ranging from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 15 lakh annually. Graduates with AI, ML skills, and design expertise can command salaries as high as Rs 20 lakh, shared Ashok Chandak, CEO and President of SEMI India & IESA. Chandak attributes the renewed focus on skilling largely to the entry of new players such as Micron and Vedanta, which have invigorated the industry.