BITS Pilani receives US $1 Million for Semiconductor Research

Pilani : BITS Pilani announced today that it has received a donation of USD 1 million from its alumnus, Ranvir Trehan, a technologist and an entrepreneur. The funds will be used to establish a Centre of excellence (CoE) in Semiconductor research at BITS Pilani’s Hyderabad campus. The Centre will focus on conducting research and developing human resources capacity for India’s rapidly growing semiconductor sector.

In 2022, the  Government of India launched the “India Semiconductor Mission” with an aim to emerge as the global hub for the semiconductor industry. The government announced incentives amounting to $10 billion, and reports suggest the sector is projected to reach a value of $55 billion and employ more than 300,000 people by 2025-26. The Centre will play a vital role in producing skilled professionals to meet this demand.

Prof. V Ramgopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor, BITS Pilani said, “The generous donation of USD 1 million from Ranvir Trehan will enable us to hit the ground running and commence the operations of the centre immediately. We are actively working towards raising an additional $2 million to fully unleash the potential of the Centre. Our vision for the Centre includes offering academic programs for undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as specialized doctoral and post-doctoral research opportunities that align with industry requirements. The Centre will foster collaboration among our accomplished alumni, corporate entities, esteemed academics, and government labs and departments.”

Mr. Ranvir Trehan and his wife, Ms. Adarsh said, “ BITS Pilani has played a significant role in our professional achievements, and it is with heartfelt affection that we make this humble contribution. Our aim is to support BITS Pilani in enhancing its research capabilities and fostering the development of human resources in the vital field of semiconductors. This sector has been identified as a strategic focus area at the national level through the India Semiconductor Mission.”

Ranvir Trehan graduated from BITS Pilani in 1961, and was the founder and CEO of SETA Corporation, a leading consulting firm specializing in network technologies with offices in three continents.

BITS Pilani alumni have founded many semiconductor-based startups, such as NextGen, Pensando and Nimbus Technology. The alumni also occupy senior leadership positions across leading semiconductor firms such as Micron, Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia, Texas Instruments, ST Microelectronics, among others.