Indian IT services firm HCL Technologies and Japanese semiconductor company Rapidus Corporation officially inaugurated two HCLTech development centres in India to support the chipmaker's growing semiconductor engineering requirements. According to the latest reports, the centres are strategically located in Bengaluru and Hubli to leverage HCLTech's global leadership in core engineering for Rapidus' evolving semiconductor needs. The partnership was officially announced on October 26, 2026, as reported by PRNewswire. The collaboration represents a significant collaboration between Rapidus Corporation's next-generation semiconductor ambitions and HCLTech's engineering expertise, as reported by ANI.
The newly established development centres will provide Rapidus Corporation with comprehensive semiconductor engineering capabilities including mask design, design infrastructure, process design kit development, design technology co-optimisation and layout design. As reported by ANI, the partnership will also focus on building a pipeline of Indian engineering talent to meet Rapidus' evolving workforce requirements in Japan. The collaboration comes as Rapidus works towards developing advanced logic semiconductors in Japan, while seeking engineering expertise and technical resources to support its manufacturing ambitions. HCLTech will collaborate with Rapidus to build a pipeline of Indian engineering talent to meet Rapidus' evolving talent requirements in Japan.
Dr. Atsuyoshi Koike, Representative Director and CEO of Rapidus Corporation, emphasized the collaboration's strategic importance, stating that through this partnership with HCLTech, they expect to access India's growing pool of semiconductor engineering talent and establish dedicated development capabilities that complement their operations in Japan. Koike noted that building a strong engineering ecosystem is essential as Rapidus advances their mission to establish next-generation semiconductor manufacturing capabilities in Japan. C Vijayakumar, CEO and Managing Director of HCLTech, highlighted that the partnership would combine Rapidus's semiconductor ambitions with HCLTech's engineering capabilities, stating that advanced semiconductors will define the technologies of the next decade and reflect the growing strategic collaboration between Japan and India. Koike expressed looking forward to working together to develop the technical expertise and resources needed to support their long-term objectives.
The partnership represents a significant collaboration between Rapidus Corporation's next-generation semiconductor ambitions and HCLTech's engineering expertise, as reported by ANI. The companies have not disclosed the financial value of the partnership or the number of engineers expected to work at the two development centres. The collaboration is expected to accelerate chip adoption, compress time-to-market, and lay the foundations for the next era of semiconductor innovation. The partnership also highlights the growing role of India's semiconductor engineering workforce in supporting advanced chip development and strengthening technology cooperation between India and Japan. The initiative aims to build a sustainable talent pipeline by creating a reservoir of Indian engineering professionals capable of meeting evolving workforce needs of Rapidus operations in Japan. For HCLTech, the collaboration expands its involvement in semiconductor engineering services, while creating opportunities to develop specialised Indian engineering talent for advanced chip technologies.
