Most semiconductor startups in India do not need a cleanroom at all, at least not at first. Chip design teams need computing power and secure offices. Test and validation teams need electrostatic-safe labs with clean, stable power. A cleanroom only enters the picture when you start handling bare wafers or dies, building prototype packages, or working on MEMS, photonics or compound semiconductors. Getting that sequence right saves a startup a great deal of money.
What is happening in India’s chip industry?
Quite a lot, quite quickly. By December 2025, the India Semiconductor Mission had approved 10 projects worth about Rs 1.60 lakh crore across six states, covering silicon and silicon carbide fabs alongside assembly, testing and packaging plants, according to a February 2026 government release. Under the Design Linked Incentive scheme, 24 chip design startups were being supported by January 2026, with a stated aim of reaching at least 50 fabless companies.
The big fabs and packaging plants are building their own campuses. The opportunity for science parks sits around them: design houses, test labs, equipment and materials suppliers, and startups prototyping new devices.
What does each kind of semiconductor startup need?
| Startup Type | What They Do | Cleanroom? | What the Building Must Provide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabless Design | Design chips, outsource manufacturing | No | Secure offices, high-capacity network, server room or cloud compute |
| Test and Validation | Test chips and boards against specifications | Usually No | ESD-safe labs, clean stable power, temperature control |
| Failure Analysis and Characterisation | Find out why parts fail | Sometimes, Small | Low vibration, microscopy space, sample preparation with fume extraction |
| Prototype Packaging | Build sample packages before mass production | Yes, Typically ISO 6 to ISO 8 | Cleanroom, controlled humidity, die-handling equipment |
| MEMS, Photonics, Compound Semiconductor R&D | Small-scale device fabrication | Yes, Often ISO 5 to ISO 6 | Ultrapure water, specialty and toxic gases, gas detection, vibration control |
| Equipment and Materials Suppliers | Build and test tools and chemicals for fabs | Sometimes | High bays, heavy power, chemical handling |
ESD stands for electrostatic discharge. A static spark you would not even feel can destroy a chip, so test labs need grounded floors, benches and wrist straps. It sounds minor until a week of failed tests turns out to be the carpet.
Why are small device cleanrooms harder than they look?
Size fools people. A 1,000 sq ft MEMS or photonics cleanroom can be more demanding than a much larger pharma suite.
The air is only the start. Device fabrication needs ultrapure water, cleaner by far than pharma purified water. It uses specialty gases, some toxic or flammable, which need gas cabinets, leak detection and safe exhaust. Lithography and inspection tools hate vibration, so the floor and foundations matter. Chemical waste from etching and cleaning needs its own treatment.
None of this rules out a science campus. It just means the base building has to be chosen with these loads in mind, before the first wall goes up.
Why do full fabs not fit in a science park?
A commercial front-end fab is a different scale altogether: huge cleanroom halls, enormous power and water draw, and a site designed around one operation. India’s approved fabs are each building dedicated campuses for that reason. If a startup ever reaches that point, it will be choosing land, not leasing a lab.
What should you check before leasing space?
- Power capacity, quality and backup for sensitive test equipment
- ESD-safe flooring and grounding, or the ability to add them
- HVAC capacity for future cleanroom suites
- Gas detection and safe routing for specialty gas exhaust
- Ultrapure water options, if you will fabricate devices
- Floor stability and vibration levels for sensitive tools
- Data security and access control for design IP
- Room to grow from test lab to small cleanroom on one campus
How does a science campus help?
The infrastructure that small device cleanrooms need, such as strong power, HVAC headroom, gas detection and monitoring, is expensive to set up alone and slow to approve. A campus that already runs it lets a startup spend its funding on tools and people.
NQF Hubs (NXT QST FWD) lists semiconductors and electronics among the sectors it serves. It offers research labs, turnkey build-outs including design and project management, and campus systems such as gas detection (GDS) and central BMS/EMS monitoring, as set out on its Solutions page. Our guide to lab and cleanroom build-out timelines explains how cleanroom projects move from design to qualification, and the defence and aerospace R&D guide covers related electronics test needs.
Frequently asked questions
Do semiconductor design startups need a cleanroom?
No. Fabless design companies need secure offices and computing power. Cleanrooms are only needed when a company handles bare wafers or dies, builds prototype packages or fabricates devices.
What cleanroom class do semiconductor packaging labs use?
Prototype packaging labs typically work in ISO 6 to ISO 8 cleanrooms. Device fabrication such as MEMS or photonics R&D often needs ISO 5 to ISO 6.
What is ESD protection in a lab?
ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection uses grounded floors, benches and wrist straps to stop static electricity damaging chips. It is essential in any lab handling semiconductor parts.
How many semiconductor projects has India approved?
By December 2025, the India Semiconductor Mission had approved 10 projects worth about Rs 1.60 lakh crore across six states, covering fabs and assembly, testing and packaging units.
Building a chip design, test or prototyping lab? Talk to NQF Hubs about lab and cleanroom space. Get in touch
6. External sources cited
- PIB, India Semiconductor Mission backgrounder (7 Feb 2026): https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2026/feb/doc202627782201.pdf
- ISO 14644-1:2015, cleanroom classification: https://www.iso.org/standard/53394.html
Frequently asked questions
Who certifies GLP test facilities in India?
The National GLP Compliance Monitoring Authority (NGCMA), under the Department of Science and Technology. India has been a full adherent to the OECD Mutual Acceptance of Data system since 2011.
What approvals does an animal research facility need in India?
It must be registered with CPCSEA and run an Institutional Animal Ethics Committee to approve studies. GLP certification is separate and applies when data supports regulatory submissions.
Does India allow non-animal methods for drug testing?
Yes. A 2023 amendment to the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules allows non-animal methods such as organoids, organs-on-chip and 3D bioprinted tissues.
Why do vivariums use 100% fresh air?
Recirculated air can carry odours, allergens and pathogens between rooms. Single-pass fresh air with high air change rates protects both animals and study results.
Planning a preclinical or GLP facility? Talk to NQF Hubs about built-to-suit lab and vivarium space. Get in touch
6. External sources cited
- BioSpectrum India, “Govt pushes for capacity building to make India global leader in Good Laboratory Practice” (26 Jul 2022): https://www.biospectrumindia.com/news/22/21695/govt-pushes-for-capacity-building-to-make-india-global-leader-in-good-laboratory-practice.html
- Drishti IAS, “Removing Animals from Drug-Testing Process” (14 Aug 2023): https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/removing-animals-from-drug-testing-process
- DST, About NGCMA: https://dst.gov.in/about-ngcma