Five to eight additional semiconductor facilities are expected to begin operations in India over the next seven to eight years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, highlighting the country’s push to become self-reliant in chip manufacturing.
“The world has reached a point where the entire system could come to a standstill without chips. That is why, Bharat has begun establishing its own semiconductor manufacturing capacity in the direction of becoming self-reliant,” Modi said during his address to the nation on the 80th Independence Day.
Three semiconductor assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) units of Micron Technology , Kaynes Semicon and CG Semi have begun commercial production this year. Located in Sanand, these plants have also started exports, he said.
These, along with nine other semiconductor facilities, including a fabrication unit being built by Tata Electronic , have been approved under the Rs 76,000-crore first phase of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) so far.
The Centre approved the Rs 1.27 lakh-crore second phase of ISM last month. Administrative notification for the same is expected soon, officials said.
The Prime Minister warned that voices in support of globalisation have become rare and countries have started weaponising critical resources, including technology and chips. He reiterated his call for building the entire semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, expanding the production basket to include both small components and large-scale products.
“The entire value chain should be ours and we should move ahead with it,” he said. “From design to manufacturing, India must emerge as a trusted hub in the global supply chain.”
During his Independence Day speech, Modi also announced nationwide skilling of 10 million youth in artificial intelligence (AI) over the next one year. The initiative would help equip youth with the capability to lead in the world of AI, he said.
