India has advanced its push for technological self-reliance with the launch of two domestically developed silicon photonics solutions at Indian Institute of Technology Madras on April 24, 2026. The launch was led by S. Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, reflecting the government’s continued emphasis on building indigenous capabilities in semiconductor and photonics technologies.
The solutions have been developed under the Centre of Excellence for Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems (CoE-CPPICS) at IIT Madras and are intended to function as shared national infrastructure for industry, startups, academic institutions, and defense research bodies.
Among the technologies introduced is a Silicon Photonics Process Design Kit (PDK), comprising more than 50 verified components to support the design of photonic integrated circuits. The second is a Universal Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuit (PPIC) Test Engine, an automated platform designed for the characterization of photonic and optoelectronic modules across multiple application areas.
Officials stated that the technologies are aligned with global standards, positioning India to strengthen its role in the evolving photonics ecosystem. At the same time, representatives from MeitY and the India Semiconductor Mission noted that expanding domestic manufacturing capacity will be essential to complement advances in design capabilities.
The CoE-CPPICS operates under a Product Research, Development, and Manufacturing framework, with a focus on CMOS-compatible silicon photonics. As part of its current ecosystem, the center is collaborating with SilTerra for fabrication and izmo Microsystems for packaging.
The center is expected to begin multi-project wafer fabrication runs in the third quarter of the 2026 financial year, marking the next phase in translating design capabilities into scalable production.
