Opinion Rajeev Chandrasekhar writes: Our semicon report card

It is brimming with milestones. India is now at an inflection point

Independent India’s history is replete with instances of how India missed the semiconductor and electronics bus. (Representational Photo)

Rajeev Chandrasekhar

July 28, 2023 08:37 AM IST First published on: Jul 28, 2023 at 07:00 AM IST

The recent historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US led to a crucial agreement. Both nations agreed to partner in developing critical technologies that will shape our future — artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, high-performance computing and space.

This visit marked a significant milestone for India, signalling its rise as a globally recognised tech nation over the past nine years under PM Modi’s leadership. The fact that the US, the world’s pre-eminent tech leader, is partnering with India for the next decade for technologies and semiconductors shows how far India’s tech capabilities have grown, especially in semiconductors, where we had little or no presence for decades.

The Indian story on electronics and semiconductors had been dismal for decades, with missed opportunities, lack of political and strategic vision and incompetence. For instance, in the 1960s, India ignored a proposal from Fairchild Semiconductors (whose founders went on to create Intel) to set up a semiconductor packaging unit, which later moved to Malaysia.

In 2007, Intel’s then chairman Craig Barrett revealed how the government’s slow response caused India to lose an investment opportunity. Independent India’s history is replete with instances of how India missed the semiconductor and electronics bus. However, PM Modi has changed the course with a robust India First political vision and strategic clarity about the future of the country. He has rebuilt India’s electronics ecosystem, making it one of the fastest-growing across the world. He has set a goal of a $1 trillion digital economy, aiming for it to contribute 20 per cent to GDP.

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India is now being recognised as a trusted partner for various global challenges, ranging from sustainability and security to vaccines, electronics, and semiconductors. Just 19 months ago, PM Modi approved the $10 billion India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) — a comprehensive decadal roadmap to catalyse India’s semiconductor ecosystem. This initiative has contributed significantly to the expansion of the digital and innovation economy and secured a substantial share in the global semiconductor market. It has also catalysed the growth of semiconductor design startups and supported India’s global partnerships with global majors.

We are showcasing our semicon prowess and chip design innovation at Semicon India 2023 being held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from July 28-30, 15 months after its first edition was held in Bengaluru. Our Semicon report card is certainly filled with milestones.

Semicon India’s futureSKILL has developed a comprehensive VLSI curriculum for 85,000 engineers with industry and government partnership and is being implemented this academic year across 300 institutes. India already boasts over 20 per cent of the global semiconductor design talent, with key players in the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem like Applied Materials and Lam Research making India their hub for skilling and talent development.

Also Read | Why India’s semiconductor manufacturing industry is yet to take off

Under Semicon India futureDESIGN, over 30 semiconductor design startups have been set up in India. With financial support already granted to five startups and 25 more being evaluated, the goal is to increase the number of supported startups to 200.

Recognising that the world is moving to new ISAs for chips and the PM’s own commitment to open sources for our innovation ecosystem, including India stack, we have launched Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) programme, aiming to develop next-generation processors. Indian startups and enterprises will not only become a talent hub for RISC-V technology, but also be global suppliers of RISC-V SoCs for diverse applications.

Micron, a world major in the semiconductor memory space, has announced its first-ever investment in Gujarat. This $2.75 billion investment will help develop supply chains and Fabs. It is expected to create at least 5,000 new direct and 15,000 community jobs. This investment reflects the confidence that global majors have on India as a potential destination for semicon investments.

Semiconductor research is a priority and the existing Fab at SCL Mohali will be modernised with the help of global majors. We have earmarked over Rs 10,000 crore for its modernisation and for setting up a global India Semiconductor Research Center (ISRC).

The progress made in the last 15 months is remarkable. India is now at an inflection point and there are tremendous opportunities for the young, whether it is in space, electronics, internet, AI or semiconductors.

Everyone associated with the India Semiconductor Mission feels committed to delivering on our PM’s vision. If we continue at this pace, we can accomplish in the coming Techade what took some neighbouring nations 30 years and $200 billion.

The writer is Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology