Japanese embedded semiconductor solutions company Renesas Electronics has taped out—and is now sampling—3 nm (nanometre) chips designed by its Noida and Bengaluru teams for automotive applications.
“We’re definitely the first in India, to design 3 nm automotive chips,” Malini Narayanamoorthi, India country manager and VP of Renesas, told ET.
The 3 nm chip is one of the smallest, fastest, and most advanced chips globally.
In the context of electronics design, to "tape out" means to finalise and submit the complete design of an integrated circuit (IC) or printed circuit board (PCB) to a foundry (a semiconductor manufacturing plant) to begin the manufacturing process.
The sample chips are already being provided to partners, while a commercial launch date is not committed yet, Narayanamoorthi said.
Renesas is partnering with Murugappa group's CG Power to build an outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility in Sanand.
In May this year, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said Renesas would be India’s first design centre to work on cutting-edge 3 nm chip design. “Designing at 3nm is truly next-generation. We’ve done 7 nm and 5 nm earlier, but this marks a new frontier,” he had said.
British semiconductor company ARM's new Bengaluru facility will also focus on designing cutting-edge chips, including advanced two-nanometre (2 nm) nodes, Vaishnaw had said on Tuesday.
Renesas holds a minority stake (under 7%) in CG Semi, a joint venture with CG Power and Stars Microelectronics, Thailand, which is setting up the OSAT facility in Sanand.
Beyond investment, it is also set to become an anchor customer for CG Semi’s planned “mini” and “major” chip packaging plants, although exact consumption details are still being determined as part of an internal qualification process, Narayanamoorthi told ET.
“It won’t be just us as customers—they will work with other potential customers too who have OSAT requirements,” she clarified, noting that qualification and production ramp-up are underway for the mini plant.
Despite global semiconductor headwinds and ongoing US-China tensions, Renesas’ India business has continued to grow in 2024 and 2025, she said.
While the impact of new tariffs is still “up in the air,” Narayanamoorthi said Renesas leadership “believes in Renesas India,” and expansion plans remain on track.
She said the firm’s India workforce has doubled to nearly 800 in the past year, with plans underway to further expand towards a 1,000-member team. The Japanese major is tapping India’s deep engineering talent, aiming for the country to contribute 10% of its global revenue by 2030.
In the Sanand OSAT, Renesas and its partners each would bring differentiated packaging technologies—including QFP and BGA packages—to the joint venture.
Narayanamoorthi said technology transfers, while complex, are supported by a shared commitment to cross-border collaboration. Bridging Japanese, Indian, and Thai work cultures is “natural in today’s globalised world,” she said, adding that Renesas operates in over 30 countries.
While Renesas supports local talent training and partners actively at the JV level, the company currently has no active plans to bring its own fabrication or OSAT facilities to India, she said. "We have both fabs as well as OSATs in mostly the east of the world," she added.
Renesas operates wafer fabrication (foundry) plants primarily in Japan, including Naka, Takasaki, Saijo, Kawashiri, and the newer Kofu facility.
Currently, Renesas engineering teams lend support to CG Semi, and cross-training is expected to occur organically through the partnership.
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“We’re definitely the first in India, to design 3 nm automotive chips,” Malini Narayanamoorthi, India country manager and VP of Renesas, told ET.
The 3 nm chip is one of the smallest, fastest, and most advanced chips globally.
In the context of electronics design, to "tape out" means to finalise and submit the complete design of an integrated circuit (IC) or printed circuit board (PCB) to a foundry (a semiconductor manufacturing plant) to begin the manufacturing process.
The sample chips are already being provided to partners, while a commercial launch date is not committed yet, Narayanamoorthi said.
Renesas is partnering with Murugappa group's CG Power to build an outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility in Sanand.
In May this year, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said Renesas would be India’s first design centre to work on cutting-edge 3 nm chip design. “Designing at 3nm is truly next-generation. We’ve done 7 nm and 5 nm earlier, but this marks a new frontier,” he had said.
British semiconductor company ARM's new Bengaluru facility will also focus on designing cutting-edge chips, including advanced two-nanometre (2 nm) nodes, Vaishnaw had said on Tuesday.
Renesas holds a minority stake (under 7%) in CG Semi, a joint venture with CG Power and Stars Microelectronics, Thailand, which is setting up the OSAT facility in Sanand.
Beyond investment, it is also set to become an anchor customer for CG Semi’s planned “mini” and “major” chip packaging plants, although exact consumption details are still being determined as part of an internal qualification process, Narayanamoorthi told ET.
“It won’t be just us as customers—they will work with other potential customers too who have OSAT requirements,” she clarified, noting that qualification and production ramp-up are underway for the mini plant.
Despite global semiconductor headwinds and ongoing US-China tensions, Renesas’ India business has continued to grow in 2024 and 2025, she said.
While the impact of new tariffs is still “up in the air,” Narayanamoorthi said Renesas leadership “believes in Renesas India,” and expansion plans remain on track.
She said the firm’s India workforce has doubled to nearly 800 in the past year, with plans underway to further expand towards a 1,000-member team. The Japanese major is tapping India’s deep engineering talent, aiming for the country to contribute 10% of its global revenue by 2030.
In the Sanand OSAT, Renesas and its partners each would bring differentiated packaging technologies—including QFP and BGA packages—to the joint venture.
Narayanamoorthi said technology transfers, while complex, are supported by a shared commitment to cross-border collaboration. Bridging Japanese, Indian, and Thai work cultures is “natural in today’s globalised world,” she said, adding that Renesas operates in over 30 countries.
While Renesas supports local talent training and partners actively at the JV level, the company currently has no active plans to bring its own fabrication or OSAT facilities to India, she said. "We have both fabs as well as OSATs in mostly the east of the world," she added.
Renesas operates wafer fabrication (foundry) plants primarily in Japan, including Naka, Takasaki, Saijo, Kawashiri, and the newer Kofu facility.
Currently, Renesas engineering teams lend support to CG Semi, and cross-training is expected to occur organically through the partnership.
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