As India accelerates its drive to become a global semiconductor powerhouse, advanced testing and measurement capabilities have never been more critical. Shitendra Bhattacharya, Country Head & Director – India, Emerson Test & Measurement, sits at the forefront of this transformation. With Emerson’s decades of expertise in automated, AI-enabled test systems and a strong R&D base in Bengaluru, Bhattacharya is guiding the company’s efforts to support India’s ambitious chip-making goals—from high-precision validation to sustainable, software-defined test platforms. In this exclusive conversation with Machine Edge Global, he shares how Emerson is helping semiconductor innovators shrink development cycles, boost reliability, and future-proof their operations.
Emerson’s Test and Measurement division has decades of expertise in automated testing. How do you see this expertise aligning with India’s ambitious semiconductor growth plans?
Emerson’s Test and Measurement division, brings decades of expertise in automated testing that aligns strongly with India’s ambitious semiconductor growth plans. With a significant engineering and R&D presence in Bengaluru, Emerson is driving innovation in modular, software-connected test systems that span chip design, validation, and high-volume production testing. As India pushes to build a robust semiconductor ecosystem, Emerson’s advanced solutions for analog, mixed-signal, RF, power devices, and wide-bandgap semiconductors are well-positioned to meet these demands. The company is also deepening collaboration with leading industry players, such as Tata Technologies, to co-develop intelligent validation systems across automotive, aerospace, and semiconductor sectors. By embedding AI and automation into its platforms, Emerson is helping accelerate prototype validation, defect detection, and production readiness.
AI and data analytics are increasingly driving product development cycles. How is Emerson leveraging these technologies to accelerate semiconductor innovation?
At Emerson, we see AI and data analytics as critical enablers for accelerating semiconductor innovation. With growing device complexity and shrinking timelines, traditional validation approaches aren’t enough. That’s why we’re modernizing validation labs, automating measurements, applying machine learning to vast datasets, and connecting data across the product lifecycle to drive faster debugging, tighter process control, and improved reliability.
A key part of this strategy is Nigel™, our AI Advisor, which brings NI’s deep test expertise directly into engineers’ workflows. By automating routine tasks and providing contextual, trusted guidance in tools like LabVIEW and TestStand, Nigel helps teams reduce manual effort, make smarter decisions, and accelerate time-to-market. In short, Emerson is using AI and analytics to streamline workflows, improve yield, and give semiconductor companies the confidence to innovate at speed and scale.
Validation bottlenecks are a known challenge in chip design and packaging. Could you explain how automated test systems can help overcome these?
Validation bottlenecks in chip design and packaging are a well-recognized challenge, largely due to the growing complexity, shrinking geometries, and increasing performance demands of semiconductors. Automated test systems help overcome these hurdles by standardizing processes, minimizing manual intervention, and enabling faster, more consistent validation across large volumes. By leveraging automation and AI, such systems not only accelerate validation cycles but also enhance accuracy, reduce costs, and improve yield predictability, ultimately shortening time-to-market.
Emerson, through NI’s proven expertise in high-performance testing, plays a vital role in addressing these bottlenecks. Our advanced automated test solutions are designed to meet the evolving needs of semiconductor fabs and design houses, delivering high-speed, high-precision validation at scale. With decades of experience across industries like semiconductors, automotive, and aerospace, we bring a unique combination of domain knowledge, technology leadership, and collaborative partnerships. By working closely with ecosystem players, we help customers future-proof their testing infrastructure and drive India’s vision of indigenous semiconductor innovation.
The semiconductor industry is under pressure to shorten time-to-market while ensuring high reliability. How does Emerson help balance these two priorities?
The semiconductor industry’s dual demand for faster time-to-market and uncompromised reliability requires intelligent testing strategies. Emerson addresses this by providing modular, software-defined test systems that allow engineers to reuse hardware and scale test platforms from prototype to production, saving time without sacrificing accuracy. Our AI-driven analytics enable predictive defect detection and adaptive testing, so reliability is built in early rather than verified late. At the same time, tools like the Nigel™ AI Advisor simplify test development through natural language guidance and code optimization, reducing engineering effort while ensuring consistency. This combination of reuse, automation, and AI allows semiconductor companies to shorten development cycles, improve yields, and deliver highly reliable devices to market faster.
With India’s push towards self-reliance in electronics manufacturing, what role do you envision Emerson playing in enabling indigenous chip design and testing capabilities?
India’s push towards indigenous semiconductor manufacturing opens significant opportunities for our high-performance test solutions. By integrating automation and AI, we help businesses streamline testing, reduce costs, and future-proof their operations across sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and semiconductors. Apart from semiconductors and space, Emerson T&M is also seeing traction in automotive (including electric mobility), energy and healthcare, where test and compliance requirements are growing more stringent.
We are also focused on offering high-speed, high-precision test solutions for semiconductor validation and EV battery testing, while strengthening partnerships with semiconductor fabs and design houses to deliver advanced testing capabilities. Our collaborations with leading Indian players like Tata Elxsi and others underscore our commitment to solving complex engineering challenges. Additionally, we are investing in training programs and ecosystem partnerships to enhance local expertise in advanced testing technologies, supporting India’s vision of self-reliance in electronics manufacturing.
In terms of industry trends, what are the most significant developments you’re seeing in chip design, reliability testing, and AI-driven insights?
In semiconductors, we’re at a pivotal moment where three forces are converging i.e., the complexity of chip design, the need for uncompromising reliability and the rise of AI-driven insights.
On the design side, the industry is moving rapidly toward heterogeneous integration and system-on-chip architectures that combine analog, digital, RF and even photonics on the same device. This means the scope of testing has expanded dramatically from DC to mmWave frequencies and requires platforms that can scale seamlessly from modeling and simulation to validation and high-volume production. Our modular PXI-based systems and the Semiconductor Test System (STS) were built with this scalability in mind, ensuring that engineers can keep pace with innovation while maintaining efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Reliability testing has also become mission-critical. As chips power everything from autonomous vehicles to 5G infrastructure to medical devices, there is zero tolerance for failure. Customers are looking for test systems that not only validate performance under extreme conditions but also provide continuous feedback loops across the product lifecycle.
That’s why we emphasize connected, software-defined workflows, enabling real-time insights and early identification of potential issues, reducing risk and time-to-market. And finally, AI is fundamentally changing how testing is approached. Traditionally, test systems generated vast volumes of data without always offering clear insights. Now, with AI and machine learning embedded into our platforms, engineers can move beyond data collection to predictive analytics, anomaly detection and automated decision-making. This allows test teams to focus less on firefighting and more on delivering quality and innovation at speed.
In short, the most significant industry trends we see are around scalable chip design validation, uncompromising reliability and intelligent, AI-driven test automation. These are exactly the areas where Emerson Test & Measurement continues to invest and lead.
Given the global competition in semiconductor R&D, how important is speed and agility in test and measurement, and what steps is Emerson taking to deliver both?
Speed and agility have become absolutely essential in semiconductor R&D because the industry is operating in a highly competitive environment where the ability to move from concept to market can define leadership. The complexity of modern chips, especially with the rise of 5G, AI accelerators and advanced automotive electronics, means that traditional testing approaches are no longer sufficient. Engineers need solutions that allow them to validate designs quickly, adapt to new requirements and ensure reliability without slowing down innovation.
At Emerson Test and Measurement, we focus on building systems that are both modular and software connected, which allows our customers to scale their testing seamlessly from the lab to high volume production. For example, our PXI-based platforms and the Semiconductor Test System integrate hardware, software and data into a common workflow, enabling rapid prototyping, faster validation and efficient manufacturing test. This kind of integration shortens validation cycles, improves debugging and increases throughput, which translates directly into faster time to market for our customers.
Another critical aspect of agility is flexibility. Semiconductor companies are working on diverse technologies ranging from analog and RF to mixed signal and millimeter wave. Our approach ensures that a single test infrastructure can address this wide spectrum without requiring a complete overhaul every time a new device comes along. That flexibility is further strengthened by embedding AI and machine learning into our workflows, which helps automate repetitive tasks, accelerate decision making and improve test reliability.
In essence, speed and agility in test and measurement are no longer optional, they are strategic imperatives. By combining modular hardware, software connected systems and intelligent analytics, Emerson is enabling semiconductor companies to innovate faster while maintaining the highest levels of quality and reliability.
Sustainability is becoming a key priority for manufacturing. How is Emerson integrating sustainable practices into semiconductor testing solutions?
Sustainability is no longer a side conversation in manufacturing—it is central to how companies design, build, and validate their products. In semiconductors, this often means reducing power consumption, optimizing resources, and driving efficiency without compromising performance.
At Emerson Test and Measurement, we view sustainability as an outcome of smarter test system design. Our Semiconductor Test System integrates PXI hardware, LabVIEW, and TestStand into a compact unit that reduces space, lowers power use, and boosts parallel test efficiency. By consolidating multiple benches into a single modular platform, we help cut hardware footprint and extend equipment life through software-driven upgrades, reducing electronic waste.
We also focus on data-driven workflows that avoid redundant testing, optimize coverage, and use predictive analytics to catch issues earlier—minimizing rework, energy use, and material waste. For us, sustainability is about creating a responsible testing ecosystem through compact, modular, and software-defined platforms that enable efficiency and long-term impact.
How did you find SEMICON India 2025? Any interesting learnings or insights you’d like to share?
SEMICON India 2025 was truly an outstanding experience. The speed and scale at which India is advancing in its semiconductor journey is phenomenal. The collaborations, innovations, and products showcased there were a clear testament to global trust, domestic innovation, and the incredible talent we have in India.
At the event, we announced a strategic partnership with Kaynes Semicon, a subsidiary of Kaynes Technology, to deploy Emerson’s NI Semiconductor Test System (STS) as the preferred platform across their expanding test facilities. This collaboration reflects the growing demand for scalable and efficient semiconductor testing in India. Our NI STS platform is uniquely positioned to support Kaynes’ growth ambitions with its high-throughput, compact, cost-efficient, and adaptable testing capabilities designed to meet evolving market needs.
Where do you see the semiconductor test and measurement industry in the next 5–10 years, and how is Emerson preparing for that future?
The semiconductor test and measurement industry is set for a significant transformation over the next decade. As chips power everything from EVs and 6G to AI and quantum computing, testing will evolve from a back-end step to an intelligent, integrated part of the design-to-production journey.
In the next 5–10 years, we see three key shifts: greater reliance on software-defined test systems for agility, AI and machine learning becoming embedded decision-makers within test processes, and a stronger focus on sustainability by reducing energy use, test time, and footprint.
Emerson is preparing for this future with modular, software-connected platforms that scale from lab to production, embedding intelligence across workflows, and expanding R&D in India to drive next-generation innovation. The future of semiconductor testing will be about faster innovation, resilient supply chains, and sustainable performance, and Emerson Test and Measurement is ready to help lead that change.