IIT Guwahati tops Lam Research's semiconductor engineering challenge; winners share ₹10 lakh

IIT Guwahati emerged as the overall winner of the third edition of the Lam Research Challenge 2026, beating 802 other teams in an industry-led competition focused on semiconductor systems engineering. IIT Ropar and NIT Calicut secured the second and third positions, respectively.

IIT Guwahati emerged as the overall winner of the third edition of the Lam Research Challenge 2026, an industry-led semiconductor systems engineering competition that brought together more than 3,000 students from engineering institutions across India.

IIT Ropar secured the runner-up position, while NIT Calicut finished third. The winners were announced at the grand finale held at PES University in Bengaluru.

The top teams shared prize money worth ₹10 lakh, while select participants will also receive internship opportunities with Lam Research.

The competition saw participation from 803 teams representing 189 colleges across the country. Each team comprised four students from multidisciplinary academic backgrounds.

After a three-month selection process involving qualification and hardware-building rounds, 25 teams from 20 colleges progressed to the finale.

IIT Guwahati team showcases multidisciplinary engineering skills

The winning team from IIT Guwahati comprised Suhani Maheswari from Electronics and Communication Engineering, Aakash Kumar Meena from Mechanical Engineering, and Shrut Jain and Kummari Premaja from Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

The IIT Ropar team included students from Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Physics, while the NIT Calicut team comprised students from Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Computer Science Engineering.

The finalists included students from 10 IITs, two NITs and two BITS campuses.

What was the engineering challenge?

As part of the competition, teams were required to build a tabletop paint factory that could automatically mix three base colours to produce three litres of a target colour, matching a reference sample in the first attempt.

The task required precision in calculating and dispensing the colours, as paint could be added but not removed.

On the second day, teams had to automate the entire process through a single button press. This involved integrating pipeline flushing, tank cooling and colour dosing without human intervention.

During the final round, participants tackled complex technical problems that required them to combine hardware, software, automation, data science, process engineering and advanced controls.

Focus on semiconductor systems engineering

Unlike conventional engineering competitions that focus on individual disciplines, the Lam Research Challenge emphasised systems-level thinking and the ability to develop integrated solutions for complex semiconductor manufacturing operations.

Entries were evaluated on innovation, technical excellence, collaboration, problem-solving and performance under pressure.

Rangesh Raghavan, corporate vice-president and managing director, Lam Research India, said, “The Lam Research Challenge is designed to help students build these capabilities while gaining exposure to the kinds of engineering problems shaping the future of our industry. It further demonstrates our continuing commitment to inspire the next generation of innovators.”

About the Author

Anjali Thakur is a Senior Assistant Editor with Mint, reporting on trending news, entertainment and health, with a focus on stories driving digital conversations. Her work involves spotting early signals across news cycles and social media, sharpening stories for SEO and Google Discover, and mentoring young editors in digital-first newsroom practices. She is known for turning fast-moving developments—whether news-driven or culture-led—into clear, tightly edited journalism without compromising editorial rigour.<br><br> Before joining Mint, she was Deputy News Editor at NDTV.com, where she led the Trending section and covered viral news, breaking developments and human-interest stories. She has also worked as Chief Sub-Editor at India.com (Zee Media) and as Senior Correspondent with Exchange4media and Hindustan Times’ HT City, reporting on media, advertising, entertainment, health, lifestyle and popular culture.<br><br> Anjali holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miranda House, and is currently pursuing an MBA, strengthening her understanding of business strategy and digital media economics. Her writing balances newsroom discipline with a clear instinct for what resonates with readers.