By AIT Public Affairs
24 September 2025 – The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), India, have forged a strategic partnership to strengthen collaboration in education, research, and emerging technologies, with a strong focus on the fast-growing semiconductor sector.
The partnership was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by Prof. Pai-Chi Li, President of AIT, and Dr. Sekar Viswanathan, Vice President of VIT. The agreement paves the way for student and faculty exchanges, joint research, dual-degree initiatives, and the establishment of Centres of Excellence in key disciplines.
A key feature of the partnership is the Graduate Pathway Programme in Semiconductors, designed to provide VIT students with a seamless academic route. The programme begins with a bridging semester at VIT in Electronics, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science, followed by advanced studies at AIT and Taipei Tech (National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan).
Beyond semiconductors, the collaboration spans joint academic programmes, international seminars and conferences, co-authored research publications, and the development of dual-degree and twinning programmes across interdisciplinary fields. Centres of Excellence will also be established in science, engineering, technology, management, and humanities to deepen the cooperation.
Prof. Pai-Chi Li, President of AIT, remarked, “Today marks a milestone as we formalize this partnership through the MoU. The Graduate Pathway Program in Semiconductors and other initiatives will strengthen academic exchanges, research, and collaboration. This timely step in engineering education and research lays the foundation for a lasting and impactful partnership.”
Dr. Sekar Viswanathan, Vice President of VIT, added, “The shared vision of VIT and AIT makes this collaboration a natural fit. Our partnership opens exciting opportunities for students, and this is just the beginning. With India’s rapidly growing semiconductor sector, the partnership is both timely and significant, and we look forward to many more meaningful initiatives together in other areas such as water, energy, agriculture, AI, and management, where there are complementarities.”
Prof. Sidhharth K. Jabade, AIT’s Vice President for Administration and Development and the lead for this initiative, said: “This partnership is more than a signing; it is the launch of a talent and innovation engine for the India–ASEAN region and beyond. Together with VIT, we aim to pioneer semiconductor engineering education at scale, combining student pathways, faculty exchanges, industry engagement, and joint research. By aligning academia, industry, and innovation ecosystems, we are building the foundations for an ambitious target of 10,000 job-ready engineers and a new generation of technologies that can transform societies across Asia.”
The collaboration comes at a pivotal moment for India’s semiconductor industry, which is projected to reach USD 100–110 billion by 2030. The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) has already approved multiple major projects across six states, with investments from leading companies such as Tata Electronics and Micron Technology. With a target of training 85,000 semiconductor engineers over the next 10 years, partnerships like AIT–VIT are vital to bridging talent and research gaps.
About VIT
Founded in 1984, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is one of India’s leading higher education institutions, recognized for its innovation and global outlook. VIT fosters a cosmopolitan learning environment with students from around the world and is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and industry collaboration.
