IIT Hyderabad and semiconductor company Kaynes Semicon have signed a two-year memorandum of understanding to expand joint work in semiconductor research, student training and industry-linked projects. The agreement was signed on Friday at Semicon India 2026 in New Delhi.
The collaboration will be implemented through the Wadhwani Innovation Network Centre of Excellence at IIT Hyderabad. It is intended to give students and researchers greater exposure to semiconductor technologies used in cars, consumer electronics and industrial equipment.
Under the agreement, IIT Hyderabad students will be able to undertake internships and projects at Kaynes facilities. Researchers from the institute and the company will also explore joint projects and new technologies in semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging.
The partnership will include lectures, workshops and training programmes. The two sides will also examine possible curriculum changes based on industry requirements, linking academic learning more closely with the skills needed in semiconductor manufacturing and related operations.
Prof. B.S. Murty, director of IIT Hyderabad, said the partnership would connect the institute’s work in materials science, electrical engineering and silicon technologies with semiconductor packaging and manufacturing. The arrangement places academic research and industrial applications within the same institutional framework, according to the details of the agreement.
For students, the proposed internships and industry projects will provide exposure to how semiconductor research moves towards commercial and manufacturing applications. The collaboration also creates a formal channel for the company to engage with the institute’s research and engineering capabilities.
Prof. Mahendrakumar Madhavan, dean of Alumni and Corporate Relations at IIT Hyderabad, said the semiconductor sector would require both new technologies and trained people as it expands. “India’s semiconductor ambitions will require sustained collaboration between academia and industry,” he said.
Kaynes Semicon is a subsidiary of Kaynes Technology India. The company has a semiconductor facility at Sanand in Gujarat, where it works on outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing. This part of the semiconductor value chain involves preparing and testing chips after their fabrication.
Raghu Panicker, CEO of Kaynes Semicon, said the company would work with IIT Hyderabad researchers and students on technologies relevant to semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging.
The MoU therefore covers both workforce development and research cooperation. Its immediate mechanisms include internships, projects, joint technology exploration, lectures, workshops, training programmes and discussions on curriculum requirements. The agreement is scheduled to run for two years.
