Inside IISc's CeNSE: Where India's Semiconductor Story Is Quietly Taking Shape

On any given day at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), deep inside the Indian Institute of Science campus, a researcher in a cleanroom suit might be working on a sensor that can detect diseases at their earliest stages. A few doors away, a startup team could be testing a high frequency device meant for 5G communications. These are not isolated efforts. They are part of a growing, interconnected ecosystem that is shaping India’s semiconductor capabilities - often away from the public eye.

India’s semiconductor ambitions are usually framed around billion-dollar fabs and global partnerships. But long before the chips are manufactured at scale, they are imagined, designed, and tested in places like CeNSE. With the India Semiconductor Mission positioning India as a serious contender in the global semiconductor space, the focus today is not just on manufacturing, but on building a complete ecosystem. CeNSE is already playing an active role in this shift - advancing research, enabling access to the infrastructure, supporting startups, and building talent. 

The work here begins at the material level. Researchers study 2D materials such as MoS₂ and graphene, alongside wide bandgap semiconductors and engineered heterostructures. These materials are essential for building devices that are faster, more efficient, and capable of handling higher power. From there, the focus shifts to devices - transistors that go beyond traditional scaling limits, memory systems, and emerging platforms such as spintronics and quantum devices.  What makes CeNSE distinct is how these layers connect. The same ecosystem that studies materials also fabricates and tests devices, closing the loop between theory and application. 

The work at CeNSE does not stop at individual components. Increasingly, the emphasis is on building complete systems. Take sensors, for instance. Teams are developing ultra-sensitive biosensors for healthcare, environmental sensors that can detect minute chemical changes, and flexible electronics that can be worn on the body. These are not just prototypes - they are steps toward deployable technologies. There is also a strong push in photonics and quantum systems. Researchers are exploring silicon photonics, integrated optical circuits, and defect-based quantum emitters - technologies that could define the next generation of computing and communication. 

Not all semiconductor innovation is about chips themselves. Some of it lies in solving the less visible, but equally critical, challenges. Consider companies working on contamination control - ensuring that even trace impurities in materials do not compromise chip performance. In a field where microscopic defects can lead to large-scale failures, this is vital. Others are developing MEMS-based sensors and microfluidic devices with applications across healthcare, aerospace, and manufacturing. Together, these efforts reflect how semiconductor innovation often extends beyond the chip into a broader technology ecosystem. 

Behind much of this activity is a support structure designed to help ideas move forward. The INCeNSE incubator, based at CeNSE, plays a key role here. It offers more than just workspace. 

Startups get access to cleanrooms, fabrication tools, mentorship, and guidance on intellectual property. Backed by the Government of Karnataka and supported by organisations like the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development, it creates an environment where ideas can move from lab to market. For founders, this reduces one of the biggest barriers in semiconductor innovation: access to infrastructure. Even with strong research and incubation, one gap often remains - the ability to produce devices on a small scale. This is where facilities such as GEECI come in. Functioning as a small-scale semiconductor foundry, it allows researchers and startups to fabricate and test devices within the same ecosystem. This capability is crucial. It enables rapid iteration and validation without the need for large, expensive fabrication plants. For many applications, small volume production is not just sufficient, but ideal.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of CeNSE is that it is not a closed system. The facility is accessible to external researchers, startups, and industry partners. This open-access approach ensures that advanced semiconductor tools and expertise are not confined to a single institution. Instead, they become part of a shared national resource. Alongside this, CeNSE is also investing in talent development. Its training programmes span a wide range - from school students and college graduates to industry professionals - helping build the skilled workforce required for India’s semiconductor ambitions. As this research matures, more of it is beginning to move towards real world applications. There is a growing focus on technology transfer - developing products and solutions that can move beyond the lab and contribute to industry and the broader economy. 

As India works to strengthen its position in the global semiconductor arena, places like CeNSE may not always make headlines. But their role is foundational. They train researchers, enable startups, and create technologies that can eventually scale into greater industrial efforts. More importantly, they demonstrate that the building blocks of a semiconductor ecosystem already exist within the country. The challenge - and opportunity - now is to recognise, support, and scale them.