IIT Gandhinagar Hosts 17th Edition of Amalthea ’26, Drawing Massive Turnout for Tech Expo, Semiconductor Conclave and National Competitions

~IIT Gandhinagar launches Amalthea ’26, featuring a major Tech Expo, semiconductor conclave, national competitions, research demonstrations and innovation showcases.
Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Oct 31 (VNI) : The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) kicked off the 17th edition of its annual student-run technical summit, Amalthea ’26, on Saturday, bringing together students, academics, industry experts and technology enthusiasts for a two-day celebration of innovation, research and technology. Themed “Strands of Eternity,” the event features technology exhibitions, national competitions, expert talks and interactive sessions.
The inaugural ceremony was graced by H. S. Jattana, Expert at Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh; the Deputy Director of IITGN; Prof. Bhaskar Datta, Dean of Academic Affairs, IITGN; and Prof. Sameer Dalvi. The flagship Tech Expo was inaugurated by Major General A. K. Mohla, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 11 RAPID (H), through a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The exhibition showcased innovations by the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), IITGN’s Robotics Lab, Quantum Materials and Devices Group, Kapidhwaj AI, Maker Bhavan, Centre for Creative Learning (CCL), PlaceStation, ATSN AI, InsideHunt, LingoLabs, arnobots and PrimeUAV, among others. The Auto Expo attracted visitors with an impressive display of vehicles, including Land Rover, Ford Roadster, Morris Minor, BMW M2, Fiat Select, Ford Mustang, Nissan Jonga and Mercedes W.
During his visit, Major General Mohla interacted with students and discussed the requirements of the Indian Defence Forces and the role of innovation in addressing real-world challenges. He encouraged students to develop practical, user-oriented solutions and highlighted the importance of collaboration between the armed forces, universities and industry to transform prototypes into market-ready products. Emphasising the need to translate innovation into meaningful outcomes, he said that innovations must reach the public and be commercialised to create a lasting impact. The Open Day also offered visitors an opportunity to explore IITGN’s research through demonstrations in robotics, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, maritime engineering, smart chemical sensing and power electronics.
The Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition witnessed participation from more than 130 teams, with the first attempts successfully completed on Day One. The keynote address was delivered by Ayush Kumar, Founder of the Indian Inter-College Programming Contest (IICPC), followed by the IICPC Hackathon. The day also featured Bushido esports competitions in BGMI, Free Fire and Rocket League, alongside technical contests such as Maze Runner, FlowDynamics, Citython and RC Racing Roborace. The Semiconductor Conclave and Symposium brought together experts to discuss semiconductor research, careers in fabrication, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) materials and electronics manufacturing.
Dr. Vinay Sharma, Principal Engineer at TATA Electronics, highlighted the importance of broad, interdisciplinary knowledge spanning device design, manufacturing, packaging and customer requirements for building a successful career in semiconductors. He also emphasised the need for supporting infrastructure, including ultra-pure water, uninterrupted power supply and local chemical supply chains. Dr. Nagendra Prasad, Co-Founder and CEO of Indinano Technologies Pvt. Ltd., stressed the importance of developing indigenous semiconductor materials, noting that localisation of materials such as CMP slurries would strengthen supply-chain resilience, enable faster technical support and demonstrate India’s ability to meet global manufacturing standards. Vishal Tejwani of Electronics Prototyping & Manufacturing highlighted how accessible tabletop electronics assembly equipment can help hardware startups rapidly prototype and manufacture products locally.
The conclave concluded with H. S. Jattana of SCL, Chandigarh, highlighting India’s efforts towards self-reliance in semiconductor technology, including the development of indigenous manufacturing equipment. He underscored SCL’s focus on technological autonomy, defence applications and radiation-hardened electronics, while encouraging students to explore analog and RF design, areas requiring more skilled professionals in India. Prof. Amit Prashant, Dean of External Relations, IITGN, emphasised the importance of collaboration among educational institutions, students and industry to advance research and transform innovative ideas into practical applications.
Day Two, scheduled for November 1, will feature the Tech Expo and Auto Expo, the remaining rounds of the Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition and the Bushido esports finals. Other events include Wire to Win, Brainwiz’s offline round, Bridge-a-thon, Pathfinder, Prompts to Profits, NetZero and the Game Jam Exhibition, where participants will showcase games developed over ten days. The summit will conclude with musical performances by DJ Kabir, a Bollywood set by Ajitanshu and an EDM performance by DJ Rihya. VNI NEWS, IIT Gandhinagar Amalthea 2026, Amalthea ’26, IITGN Tech Expo, Semiconductor Conclave India, Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition, IIT Gandhinagar events, IIT Gandhinagar, IITGN, Amalthea 2026, Amalthea ’26, Tech Expo, Auto Expo, Semiconductor Conclave, Boeing Aeromodelling Competition, IICPC Hackathon, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductor Research, Gandhinagar Events, VNINews, VNINews.com