Rapidus adds Indian engineering centres for mask, PDK and layout development

Rapidus and HCLTech have opened dedicated development centres in Bengaluru and Hubli to support the Japanese chipmaker’s semiconductor engineering programme. Their remit includes mask design, process design kit development, layout and design technology co-optimisation.

The PDK work connects the centres to the information needed to design for a manufacturing process. Device models, layout rules and verification data have to reflect the process being developed, while mask and layout engineering turn circuit requirements into physical structures that can be fabricated.

Rapidus had already reported a pre-release PDK for early adopters in its April account of the 2 nm programme. That statement followed operation of the IIM-1 pilot line in Chitose and verification of gate-all-around transistor operation on 300 mm wafers. Its fiscal 2026 plan included a wider PDK release and further work on production technology and yield.

The Indian centres add dedicated engineering support around that programme. Rapidus chief executive Atsuyoshi Koike said the collaboration would provide “dedicated development capabilities that complement our operations in Japan”. The companies marked their opening at HCLTech’s Noida headquarters on 26 October.

HCLTech will also work with Rapidus to develop a pipeline of Indian engineering talent for requirements in Japan. Alongside the technical work, that gives the partnership a recruitment and skills-development role spanning the two countries.

Sources

• Rapidus and HCLTech announcement, 26 October 2026
• Rapidus fiscal 2026 programme statement, April 2026
• Rapidus technical description of PDK content

Image: HCL Technologies Noida SEZ campus, photographed in 2015. Archive photograph. Mohit Agarwal. Image source. CC BY-SA 3.0.