Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is reportedly planning to build an additional fab at Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), its chip making facility in Chandigarh.
The move is aimed at scaling up capacity to meet the growing demand for chipsets for rockets and satellites as it opens up the space sector to private firms and startups.
As per industry reports, SCL has a 180-nanometre facility that produces chips for strategic purposes. SCL and the Semiconductor Technology and Applied Research Centre (SITAR) in Bengaluru, which has a 100-nanometre unit, also make micro-electrical mechanical systems (MeMs) and sensors that have applications in critical areas.
However, at present, most of the country’s requirement is met by imports due to a lack of a homegrown ecosystem of semiconductor manufacturers.
