L&T arm, C-DAC and IIT Gandhinagar to build indigenous secure chip for e-passports

L&T Semiconductor Technologies, C-DAC and IIT Gandhinagar have partnered to develop a fully indigenous secure chip for electronic passports. The alliance aims to boost India’s digital sovereignty, reduce reliance on foreign providers, and build a domestic secure semiconductor ecosystem

New Delhi: L&T Semiconductor Technologies, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing(C-DAC), and IIT Gandhinagar on Monday announced a partnership to develop a fully indigenous secure chip to power future digital identities, with an initial focus on electronic passports.

The partnership aims to create a fully indigenised product with all intellectual properties (IPs) residing in India, a move designed to strengthen the country’s digital sovereignty and minimise reliance on imports, according to a statement.

---

The three parties will collaborate on the research, development, and commercialisation of secure integrated circuit (IC) solutions for critical applications, with an initial focus on electronic passports. The Secure IC solution is a fully indigenised product, with all IPs residing in India, it said.

The partnership is expected to reduce dependence on foreign technology providers in security-sensitive domains. The alliance will bring together industry expertise, academic excellence, and government-led R&D to build a fully indigenous ecosystem to secure IC design and development.

The agreement includes the establishment of a dedicated research centre. Each partner will commit targeted investments to accelerate product development and deployment. The secure IC solution will also lay the foundation for next-generation crypto products for deployment in other cutting-edge embedded secure applications beyond e-passports, the statement said.

“This agreement … is more than an MoU; it is a blueprint for how industry, academia, and government can unite to shape India’s technological future. Together, we are building a secure, indigenous semiconductor ecosystem that will drive innovation, safeguard sensitive IP, and set new global benchmarks.

“By leveraging our combined strengths, we will deliver solutions made entirely in India, such as secure e-passports that the world can trust. This marks a decisive step in the ‘Make in India’ journey, ensuring that our nation’s advanced security infrastructure is conceived, designed, and owned domestically,” LTSCT Chief Executive Sandeep Kumar said.

LTSCT, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, is a fabless global semiconductor product company focused on designing and delivering innovative solutions and a comprehensive suite of services to customers.