The minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and IT mentioned that most advanced chips used in artificial intelligence (AI) servers, drones, mobile phones chips of 2 nm will be designed in the new office of ARM, a company that is involved in semiconductor design, in Bengaluru. He called this a significant milestone in India’s semiconductor journey.
He said, “Our objective is to design and manufacture semiconductors, along with the equipment and materials required for them. This is a very long visionary process and prime minister has provided clear guidance on this. With a vision for the next 20 years in the semiconductor sector, our youth and talented engineers will get the best opportunities in the world.”
Further, the minister added that the growth in electronics manufacturing is doubling the demand for semiconductor chips. Highlighting India’s achievements in the semiconductor sector, the minister stated that electronics manufacturing has increased six-fold in the last 11 years. It is currently an industry worth of Rs 11.5 trillion. Exports have increased eight-fold. Electronics are becoming major export products for India.
This journey, which began with the assembly of mobile phones and laptops, is now moving towards the production of their models, components, and finished products. He said that we are moving forward in this journey in a very systematic way. The semiconductor sector is growing into a trillion-dollar industry and the need for talent is equally important. This is an opportune time. For this, 278 institutions and universities are working and their students are engaged in the design and innovation of semiconductor chips. Currently, 28 chips designed by students from 25 institutions have been taped out. The country has practically completed the first version of India’s Semiconductor Mission and are now heading towards the second version.
Furthermore, he added that this will focus on the production of equipment and materials required for semiconductor chips. In addition, he held a discussion on the manufacturing of high precision components used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
