By Bl Pune Bureau
Copyright thehindubusinessline
The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), India, have entered into a five-year strategic partnership to strengthen collaboration in education, research and emerging technologies, with a special focus on the rapidly expanding semiconductor sector.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Pai-Chi Li, President of AIT, and Sekar Viswanathan, Vice President of VIT. The agreement paves the way for student and faculty exchanges, joint research, dual-degree initiatives and the establishment of Centres of Excellence in key disciplines.
A key feature of the partnership is the Graduate Pathway Programme in Semiconductors, designed to provide VIT students with a seamless academic route. The programme begins with a bridging semester at VIT in Electronics, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, followed by advanced studies at AIT and Taipei Tech (National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan).
Beyond semiconductors, the collaboration spans joint academic programmes, international seminars and conferences, co-authored research publications, and the development of dual-degree and twinning programmes across interdisciplinary fields. Centres of Excellence will also be established in science, engineering, technology, management and humanities to deepen the cooperation.
Impactful partnership
Pai-Chi Li, President of AIT, said in a statement, “Today marks a milestone as we formalise this partnership through the MoU. The Graduate Pathway Programme in Semiconductors and other initiatives will strengthen academic exchanges, research and collaboration. This timely step in engineering education and research lays the foundation for a lasting and impactful partnership.”
Sekar Viswanathan, Vice President of VIT, added that the partnership opens exciting opportunities for students. “With India’s rapidly growing semiconductor sector, the partnership is both timely and significant, and we look forward to many more meaningful initiatives together in other areas such as water, energy, agriculture, AI and management, where there are complementarities.”
Foundation for ambitious target
Sidhharth K Jabade, who recently joined AIT as Vice President for Administration and Development lead for this initiative. Before joining AIT, Jabade served as the founding vice chancellor of Pune based Vishwakarma University.
“This partnership is more than a signing; it is the launch of a talent and innovation engine for the India–ASEAN region and beyond. Together with VIT, we aim to pioneer semiconductor engineering education at scale, combining student pathways, faculty exchanges, industry engagement and joint research” he said.
“By aligning academia, industry and innovation ecosystems, we are building the foundations for an ambitious target of 10,000 job-ready engineers and a new generation of technologies that can transform societies across Asia,” Jadade added.
The collaboration comes at a pivotal moment for India’s semiconductor industry, which is projected to reach $100–110 billion by 2030. The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) has already approved multiple major projects across six states, with investments from leading companies such as Tata Electronics and Micron Technology. With a target of training 85,000 semiconductor engineers over the next 10 years, partnerships like AIT–VIT are vital to bridging talent and research gaps.
Published on September 25, 2025
