The Photonics Project

Alternative Computing

The Photonics Project has been initiated by the Government of Telangana with an objective to create an ecosystem for nurturing alternative computing paradigms by mobilizing concerned stakeholders and related projects. The idea was to build an ecosystem with fabrication related units such as designing houses, manufacturing houses, R&D units and supply chain industries by leveraging one of the alternative computing technologies, Photonics.

Photonics Valley Corporation is a Company registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 and operates out of Hyderabad, India. It’s owned by Government of Telangana.

The Ecosystem

VLSI Initiative

Under the VLSI academy program, two batches of job seekers have been trained with the intervention of industry and were placed. An ‘Exposure training’ program has also been rolled out. Telangana–Fabless Accelerator through Cloud Enablement (T-FACE), an incubation program designed to support the startups in Fabless/VLSI chip design activity was inaugurated on 16 September 2021 by the Minister for IT KT Rama Rao during the launch of the 2nd ICT Policy for 2021-26. Fifteen startups enrolled in the program.

Quantum Initiative

Quantum Technology is emerging as a viable alternative computing paradigm which can change the computing fundamentals. Photonics are an inevitable part of quantum approaches. The entire gamut of quantum communications is based on Photonics communications and Photonics based quantum computers emerged as serious contenders to provide stable quantum computing at room temperature. We have started a program to promote the industry in the state.

• Under quantum computing, an ‘Exposure Training’ program has been rolled out with the help of industry and over 60,000 students have benefited. The program was conducted in collaboration with TASK and TSAT.
• A virtual start-up platform has been conceived as part of the VLSI platform and a few startups have been enlisted.
• Four POCs have been identified and, with the help of a consultative committee, DPRs have been developed. They have been communicated to Govt. of India and NITI Aayog for funding.

Manufacturing Ecosystem Projects

Horizontals

Packaging unit (OSAT): An OSAT or Packaging & Testing Unit has been allotted 10 acres of land at EMC, Maheshwaram. The unit is crucial to the Photonics ecosystem and it can cater to electronics packaging as well. The project also received sanction from the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) of the Government of India. It’s the first project in Hyderabad to get the 25% capital subsidy under M-SIPS.

Fab initiatives

The Govt. of India has issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) to establish Fabs in India. Three proposals – first from Mishran to establish a GaN/GaAs foundry with $125M, the second from ASIP to establish Gallium Nitride (GaN) Fab with $200M and the third from Blaize, an Indian/American Company to establish Silicon Photonics Fab – have been submitted.