Lam Research conducts finale of nationwide semiconductor challenge at PES college

Winners of Lam Research Semiconductor Systems Design Challenge with Rangesh Raghavan, corporate vice president and managing director, Lam Research India

Lam Research, a supplier of wafer fabrication equipment, has brought students from several top engineering institutions in India under the Lam Research Challenge 2026, the California-based firm’s annual advanced semiconductor systems competition.

More than 800 teams, each comprising four students from multidisciplinary backgrounds, from 190 colleges, including IITs and leading NIRF-ranked engineering institutions, competed in Lam’s advanced systems engineering challenge. The participation underscored the growing importance of systems engineering skills needed to design, build and optimise increasingly complex semiconductor manufacturing technologies.

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

During the finale, participants developed solutions to complex technical challenges, demonstrating creativity, engineering execution and the ability to translate ideas into working outcomes.

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

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

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

He said advanced semiconductor manufacturing requires expertise spanning hardware, software, automation, data science, process engineering and advanced controls, 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-level thinking and understand how multiple 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. Modern semiconductor manufacturing environments require engineers who can understand and optimise entire systems rather than individual components in isolation, creating growing demand for talent capable of integrating technologies across increasingly complex engineering environments.

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