IIT Madras to set up factory for manufacturing lab diamonds
IIT Madras Director Professor V Kamakoti while talking to Shiksha.com revealed that the diamond factory to undertake research on lab-grown diamonds is being planned on Discovery campus, which is 25 km away from the current campus. He also talks about the importance of lab-grown diamonds and how they are planning to implement the project.
The India Centre for Lab Grown Diamonds (InCent-LGD) at IIT Madras has been identified for the project based on its two decades of experience in diamond research.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is planning to set up a diamond factory on its Discovery campus, which is 25 km away from the current campus, wherein research in the field of lab-grown diamonds (LGDs) will be undertaken, IIT Madras Director Professor V Kamakoti told Shiksha.com.
The institute has been selected for the grant of INR 242 crore over a period of five years. The research on LGDs was announced during the Union Budget 2023. The India Centre for Lab Grown Diamonds (InCent-LGD) at IIT Madras has been identified for the project based on its two decades of experience in diamond research. The research will lay emphasis on driving the indigenous manufacturing of LGDs.
Commonly asked questions
IIT Madras provides modern amenities with state-of-the-art infrastructure to its students. IIT Madras is spread over an area of 617 acre and provides various facilities. Some of the facilities include The Centre for Innovation (CFI), hospitals, central library, sports, open air theatre, place to worship, banks, canteens, transport, hostels, etc.
The total seat intake for IIT Madras BTech course is 994. Candidates can check out the IIT Madras specialisation-wise seat intake for a few BTech courses in the table given below:
| MTech Specialisation | Seat Intake |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 215 |
| Electrical Engineering | 154 |
| Civil Engineering | 127 |
| Chemical Engineering | 117 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 87 |
| Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering | 78 |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | 68 |
| Aerospace Engineering | 63 |
| Biological Engineering | 43 |
| Engineering Physics | 42 |
Yes, the IIT Madras provides canteen facility for day scholars and hostellers looking for something different to eat.
The following are the food joints available on IIT Madras Campus:
Eateries | Opening time | Closing time |
|---|---|---|
Bachelors Restaurant FFT | 9:00 | 21:00 |
Coolbiz-Girls SFC | 9:00 | 0:00 |
Grama Bhojanam-FFT | 9:00 | 21:00 |
Café Coffee Day (CCD) | 10:00 | 0:00 |
Kannan Catering Services-FFT | 9:00 | 21:00 |
Leo Fortune | 7:00 | 23:45 |
Student Tea Stall | 12:00 | 4:00 |
Indian Coffee House | 9:00 | 18:00 |
Stud Dosa-Girls SFC | 17:00 | 0:00 |
Usha Café-Girls SFC | 9:00 | 4:00 |
Woss-FFT | 9:00 | 21:00 |
Wow Momo-FFT | 9:00 | 21:00 |
Anjappar Chettinad Rest. | 9:00 | 22:30 |
Shiksha.com talked to IIT Madras Director Professor V Kamkoti wherein he talked about the importance of LGDs and how they are planning to implement the project.
He said, “Lab-grown diamonds are becoming extremely important today. These have very good thermal and electronic properties. These will be used in electronic applications in a very big way, including all 5G/6G technologies that are coming up. Diamonds have much better electrical and thermal properties than the conventional semiconductors and other materials like silicon, silicon carbide and gallium nitride which are currently used for making chips.”
He went on to add, “We are setting up a diamond factory on our Discovery Campus, which is around 25 km away from our current campus. We will be buying advanced equipment and everything that is required for the purpose. We will be working on diamond wafers specifically for electronic applications and mainly looking for gem-quality diamonds.”
Interdisciplinary project
On being asked whether the institute will be hiring additional manpower for the purpose, Prof Kamakoti said, “It is an interdisciplinary project. A group of 4-5 faculty will be involved in this project. Professor MS Ramachandra Rao from the Department of Physics will be the principal investigator for this initiative. We have to budget the equipment, etc. In one year, we should have a full-fledged roadmap.”
IIT Madras Director welcomes increased allocation for institute
The IIT Madras Director welcomed the increased allocation for the institute. He said, “We are very pleased that like every year, the allocation of funds to the institute has been increased. Though the break-up is yet to come, we are happy with whatever has been allocated. We are also given rise in salary on yearly basis. That’s an increment.”
Lab-grown diamonds (LGD) is a technology and innovation-driven emerging sector with high employment potential. These environment-friendly diamonds have optically and chemically the same properties as natural diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds are often addressed as man-made diamonds. These take 15-30 days to create in a laboratory. The only difference between lab-grown diamond and natural diamond is that instead of digging the earth, it is created in a lab under a machine.
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Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 weeks ago
The IIT Madras admissions are currently open for the online BS degree program. Meanwhile, the JoSAA 2026 counselling process has officially concluded for BTech/BE admissions at IIT Madras with the release of the Round 5 seat allotment results. For regular on-campus courses, the IIT Madras admission
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
With 98.3% in Class 12, you can easily meet the academic board criteria for IITs (65% required for ST). Since clearing JEE Advanced is mandatory for IIT admission, on the basis of JEE Main score of 56.77 percentile, you likely did not cross the ST category qualifying cutoff to appear for JEE Advance
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
When the online choices window opens, engineering aspirants targeting BTech at IIT Madras must organize their options carefully. Students should list their preferred branch combinations. The automated system reviews these choices down the list against entrance scores.
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month ago
Undergraduate engineering candidates belonging to SC and ST communities receive excellent financial benefits while studying for BTech at IIT Madras. These students enjoy a complete 100% waiver on their academic tuition fees regardless of income. The university also covers basic hostel room rent to s
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month ago
Living inside the college residential facilities brings extra expenses during the 4 years of a BTech at IIT Madras. Combined hostel room rent and mess dining charges cost between 1 Lacs and 5.4 Lacs rupees total. These rates vary depending on the specific hostel wings allocated.
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month ago
Yes, newly admitted engineering students must clear a specific one-time fee to finalize enrollment for BTech at IIT Madras. This introductory transaction costs between 8,000 and 31,000 rupees based on student category. It covers library registration, identity card making, and refundable security cau
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month ago
Students who pick traditional core fields like mechanical, civil, or chemical engineering secure great offers through BTech at IIT Madras. The average job packages for these departments range between INR 15 Lacs and 18 Lacs per annum. Major manufacturing companies and infrastructure conglomerates vi
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month ago
IIT Madras holds the Rank #1 in the Engineering Category for its BTech and programs as per NIRF Engineering Ranking. The institute has maintained this top position for 10 consecutive years.
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Are IIT Madras admissions open?