Dutch academic institutions and chipmakers are contributing to semiconductor skilling in India through various programmes, a top diplomat has said.
“Skilling is important. We have this brain bridge between our technical universities, the IITs, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in India. We have this Indo-Dutch Semiconductor School, which is an online education programme,” Ewout de Wit, consul-general of the Netherlands for South India, told ETTelecom in an interview.
The Netherlands is contributing to skilling initiatives in India, and companies like NXP Semiconductors conduct technology innovation challenges and provide internship opportunities to students, according to him.
“At the moment, from a government perspective, we are focusing on the semiconductor sector.”
The Dutch semiconductor value chain comprises over 280 companies, operating across equipment & equipment components, design tools, integrated circuit (IC) design, pure-play foundry, assembly & packaging, components, services, and more.
The Netherlands is home to ASML, the exclusive global supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines that are crucial for producing high-end semiconductors, including artificial intelligence (AI) chips.
In January this year, a delegation led by the Union Minister of Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, visited ASML’s headquarters in Veldhoven to gain a better understanding of its technology, as its machines would be deployed at the Tata Electronics-PSMC chip fabrication plant in Dholera.
The Tata group firm’s fab will be set up at a proposed investment of ₹91,000 crore, and is set to become operational by December 2026. It may potentially generate 20,000 skilled jobs.
In December 2025, Minister of External Affairs (MEA) S Jaishankar and David van Weel, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, discussed various agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU), and welcomed the MoU on the “Partnership on Semiconductors and Related Emerging Technologies”, which will take forward ongoing discussions in a more structured and decisive manner.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, through enabling policies and fiscal supports, aims to attract OSAT/ATMP players, chip fab companies, chemical & gas makers, and equipment manufacturers to India to develop a robust domestic semiconductor ecosystem and bolster supply chains.
The Centre has attracted investments totalling over $19 billion, including from the US-based Micron Technology, under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 1.0. In 2024, the Eindhoven, Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors’ chief executive Kurt Sievers said the company would invest over $1 billion to double its R&D efforts in India.
The consul general said clusters, comprising start-ups and multinational companies, have emerged near technical universities in the Netherlands, enabling an industry-academia bridge. “It is always a collaboration between the private sector, the government, and the research institutions to create this vibrant ecosystem that is driven by innovation,” de Wit said.
Indian electronics goods are now exported to major markets, with the top five destinations in FY25 being the US, the UAE, the Netherlands, the UK, and Italy, the government of India said in December last year.
Semicon pact, Dutch cos in Indian ecosystem
de Wit, during a keynote address at the IESA Vision Summit 2026 event last week, stated that the upcoming Indo-Dutch MoU on semiconductors will provide a stable umbrella for joint calls, innovation missions, Indian industry projects, and policy exchanges, including on standards, security, and sustainability.
He further noted that companies like ASM International and Besi, with a major Indian presence, are growing in the automotive and secure connectivity sectors, which “illustrates how Dutch companies are already deeply integrated into India’s design and engineering landscape”.
“Our strengths are highly complementary,” he said, adding that India brings world-class design, software, and a large-scale engineering workforce, while the Netherlands contributes with cutting-edge manufacturing equipment, deep technology (deeptech) R&D, and strong links to the European industrial base.
“Together, there are rich opportunities in chip design, advanced packaging, and photonics, AI-enabled semiconductors, secure-by-design hardware, and building a more resilient and diversified global supply chain together,” he stated.
Building on the Indo-Dutch Semiconductor School, he said both countries are ready to scale joint training programs, summer and winter schools, and industry-linked courses to equip engineers and researchers for future fabs and design centers.
“In supply chain enhancement, Dutch semiconductor equipment and materials companies can be strong partners for India’s new fabs and ATMP units, contributing precision manufacturing, process know-how, and trusted hardware expertise.”
