Chip For e-Passport: IIT Gandhinagar, L&T Arm, C-DAC To Develop Indigenous Secure Chip

L&T Semiconductor Technologies, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, and IIT Gandhinagar are going to develop a fully indigenous secure chip, with an initial focus on electronic passports, PTI reported on Monday.

The aim is to create a fully indigenised product with all intellectual properties residing in India. The three parties will collaborate on the research, development, and commercialisation of secure integrated circuit solutions for critical applications, with an initial focus on electronic passports. The Secure IC solution is a fully indigenised product, with all IPs residing in India, PTI said, citing an official statement.

A dedicated research centre will be established, with each partner committing targeted investments to fast-track product innovation and deployment.

The secure IC solution will also serve as a foundation for next-generation cryptographic products, enabling advanced embedded secure applications beyond e-passports, PTI said, citing the statement.

“By leveraging our combined strengths, we will deliver solutions made entirely in India, such as secure e-passports that the world can trust. This marks a decisive step in the ‘Make in India’ journey, ensuring that our nation’s advanced security infrastructure is conceived, designed, and owned domestically,” LTSCT Chief Executive Sandeep Kumar told PTI.

An e-passport looks like a regular passport, but it has an electronic chip in the jacket of the passport, similar to what you may see in your driving licence or debit card.

A traditional paper passport contains all personal information, like full name, date of birth, address, parents' names, and place of birth. In an e-passport, this information is likely stored in the microchip.

(With inputs from PTI)