Renesas boosts India presence with R&D hubs and chip startup partnerships

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Renesas boosts India presence with R&D hubs and chip startup partnerships

Renesas boosts India presence with R&D hubs and chip startup partnerships

Industry News
May 16,25

MOUs with Indian Government and New Offices Mark Growth in Key Semiconductor Hubs

Renesas boosts India presence with R&D hubs and chip startup partnerships

Noida, India

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a leading provider of advanced semiconductor solutions, has partnered with India’s Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) to support startups and academia in VLSI and embedded systems. The company also inaugurated expanded offices in Bengaluru and Noida, underscoring its commitment to innovation and growth in India’s semiconductor landscape.

Renesas and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), an autonomous scientific body under MeitY, signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) on May 14, 2025 under the Chips to Startup (C2S) programme. The agreements aim to 1) empower local startups in advancing technology and promoting domestic manufacturing in line with Make in India, and 2) enhance industry-academia collaboration to develop a product-centric approach in engineering education.

At the Noida celebration, key figures including Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, I&B, and Electronics & IT; Malini Narayanamoorthi, India Country Manager and VP, MID Engineering, Analog & Connectivity at Renesas; and Rea Callender of Altium, which joined Renesas in August 2024, were present. CEO Hidetoshi Shibata participated virtually, highlighting the global relevance of this initiative.

India remains a vital market for Renesas, offering substantial potential and a skilled talent base. The firm aims to generate over 10 per cent of global revenue from India by 2030. Ongoing efforts include a packaging plant venture in Gujarat with CG Power and Stars Microelectronics, and a research MOU with IIT Hyderabad. Renesas plans to expand its Indian workforce to 1,000 by end-2025, strengthening its long-term investment and position as a top employer in this dynamic market.

“Our new offices reflect Renesas’ strong commitment to India’s growth, talent, and innovation,” said Malini Narayanamoorthi. “We’re proud to support the C2S programme by enhancing research, innovation, and product engineering. These partnerships align with Make in India by developing local capabilities and empowering the next wave of home-grown semiconductor talent.”

MOUs under MeitY’s Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme

Renesas and C-DAC have partnered to boost innovation and self-reliance in India’s semiconductor sector by supporting startups and academic institutions in VLSI and embedded system design. The C2S initiative connects over 250 academic and research institutions—including IITs, NITs, IIITs, and private colleges—along with about 15 startups, to cultivate a robust domestic innovation ecosystem.

Startup MOU: Renesas will enhance local startups’ product design capabilities by supplying Renesas development boards and Altium Designer software for PCB design.

Academic MOU: The company will offer experiential learning support through training, development kits, Altium Designer tools, and cloud access via the Altium 365 platform to develop future-ready electronics engineers.

Expansion of Bengaluru and Noida offices

In May, Renesas moved into new premises in Bengaluru and Noida, signalling a major step in its India expansion strategy.

The new Bengaluru site is now Renesas’ largest in India, hosting top-tier design teams, test labs, and integrated facilities. Around 500 staff—including R&D engineers and teams from recent acquisitions Altium and Part Analytics—now collaborate in a unified space aimed at accelerating product development through India’s engineering talent.

Meanwhile, the Noida office brings together engineering and business teams focused on delivering advanced high-performance computing solutions, especially in the automotive space. This facility supports development of Renesas’ R-Car system-on-chip (SoC) platforms and is equipped with the latest tools to enhance collaboration across the global team and solidify the company’s leadership in automotive innovation.

The Chips to Startup (C2S) initiative was launched by the Government of India in December 2021 to strengthen domestic semiconductor and display manufacturing. The programme addresses the entire electronics value chain—from manpower development to IP creation and system design—via collaboration between academia, R&D bodies, and startups.