Lam Research is hosting the finals of the National Semiconductor Challenge at PES College

Winners of the Lam Research Semiconductor Systems Design Challenge with Rangesh Raghavan, Corporate Vice President and Managing Director, Lam Research India

Wafer equipment supplier Lam Research has brought students from several top engineering institutions in India to the Lam Research Challenge 2026, the California firm’s annual advanced semiconductor systems competition.

More than 800 teams, each consisting of four students from a multidisciplinary background, from 190 colleges, including IITs and premier engineering institutions NIRF, competed in the Lam Challenge of Advanced Systems Engineering. The attendance underscored the growing importance of systems engineering skills needed to design, build and optimize increasingly complex semiconductor manufacturing technologies.

After a multi-stage, three-month competition that included qualification rounds and hardware build rounds, selected teams advanced to the finals. The winners were announced at the grand finale held at PES University in Bengaluru.

During the finals, participants developed solutions to complex technical challenges, demonstrated creativity, technical execution and the ability to translate ideas into working results.

According to Lam Research, entries were judged on innovation, technical excellence, collaboration, problem solving and performance under pressure, with IIT Guwahati emerging as the overall winner. IIT Ropar came second and NIT Calicut came second. The winners shared prize money worth ₹ 10 lakh, while the selected students were offered internship opportunities at Lam Research.

“Semiconductor manufacturing is one of the most sophisticated engineering environments in the world today, requiring talent that can solve complex system-level challenges,” said Rangesh Raghavan, Vice President and Managing Director, Lam Research India.

According to Mr. Raghavan, the Lam Research Challenge is designed to help students build capabilities while introducing them to the kinds of engineering problems that are shaping the future of the industry.

He said advanced semiconductor manufacturing requires expertise in hardware, software, automation, data science, process engineering and advanced management, making systems engineering a critical capability for the industry’s future growth. Unlike traditional engineering competitions focused on individual disciplines, the Lam Research Challenge encourages participants to apply systems thinking and understand how different technologies and functions interact within large-scale manufacturing operations, the company said.

Mr. Raghavan said the industry’s talent requirements are evolving beyond traditional engineering disciplines. The modern semiconductor manufacturing environment requires engineers who can understand and optimize entire systems rather than individual components in isolation, creating a growing demand for talent capable of integrating technologies into increasingly complex engineering environments.

Building a pipeline of future talent continues to be important as India expands its role in semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, device engineering and the broader electronics ecosystem, he added.

Published – 11 Nov 2026 23:21 IST