Globalization has created uniformity in customer expectations the world over. With the opening of the Indian economy, our manufacturing sector must compete globally even in the domestic market. This would require strong products with leading technology/quality and compelling cost advantage. Suitably trained manpower with skill sets appropriate for design, development, and prototyping using modern IT tools is critical to achieving this goal. This Institute is envisioned as an academic institution of excellence that would facilitate and promote the competitive advantage of Indian products in global markets. This Institute will serve as an interdisciplinary institution for education and research in the area of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) encompassing design and manufacturing using state-of-the-art concepts, tools, processes, and practices of the industry world over. Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Kancheepuram (IIITDM Kancheepuram) is a Centre of Excellence for technical education and research established in 2007 by the Ministry of Education, Government of India to pursue design and manufacturing-oriented engineering education and research and to promote the competitive advantage of Indian products in global markets.

The institute offers academic and research programs that integrate engineering design, manufacturing, and management with information technology. The institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs which focus on IT, design, and manufacturing in engineering sectors. The institute is located on a 51-acre campus on the outskirts of Chennai, off the Vandalur-Kelambakkam road. It is a fully residential campus with all students residing within the campus. The campus houses the academic block, the administrative block, the lecture hall complex, and the laboratory block.