IIT Guwahati to Develop India’s First Indigenous Secure Chip

India is taking a significant leap in digital sovereignty with the development of the country's first fully indigenous secure semiconductor chip. This chip, to be used in e-passports, will now be designed and manufactured entirely in India.

The initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship programs—‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’—aiming to reduce reliance on foreign technologies in critical areas of national security and digital identity.

Tripartite Agreement for Development

A strategic tripartite agreement has been signed between:

• L&T Semiconductor Technologies
• Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar

This partnership aims to deliver a completely indigenous and secure integrated circuit (IC) solution for e-passports.

Key Benefits of the Project

• The chip and its Smart Operating System (Smart OS) will be developed under the 'Make in India' initiative.
• All intellectual property rights (IPRs) related to the chip will remain with India, ensuring stronger digital sovereignty.
• This will significantly reduce import dependency in security-sensitive sectors.
• The chip’s applications are not limited to e-passports—it can also be used in:
  • Aadhaar cards
  • Smart cards
  • Digital banking
  • IoT devices

Strengthening Digital Security

This indigenous technology will reduce India's reliance on foreign-made chips in key areas and boost national cyber security. L&T Semiconductor Technology (LTSCT), a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, will lead the design and technology implementation for this project.

With this development, India moves a step closer to becoming self-reliant in the semiconductor domain, ensuring that critical technologies remain under national control.