India on track to enter top 5 semicon league by 2032: Ashwini Vaishnaw

India is racing to secure a top spot in the global semiconductor arena, making rapid strides in chip design, advanced packaging, and talent development. These ambitions were detailed by Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, in an email interview with Surajeet Das Gupta. He underscored the government’s goal of making India one of the top five semiconductor nations by 2032 and highlighted SEMICON India 2025 as a key platform for global collaborations, investments, and showcasing the country’s emerging semiconductor ecosystem. Edited excerpts:

 

The government has more or less committed $10 billion for the first phase of India’s Semiconductor Mission (ISM). What are the key areas of focus now, and what is the plan and timeline for India to be among the top five semiconductor countries?

 

India aims to become an integral part of the global semiconductor value chain. As a foundational industry with applications across multiple sectors, it is essential to develop a comprehensive ecosystem covering design, equipment, chemicals, gases, raw materials, and research and development.

 

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decisive leadership, a dream long unfulfilled for over six decades is finally bearing fruit. We are now preparing for the next stages of the semiconductor value chain, including equipment and materials. His focused guidance has driven remarkable progress in a short span.

 

The first Made-in-India chip will be unveiled soon, and we are on track to become one of the top five semiconductor nations by 2032, within 10 years of launching the mission.

 

You mentioned the government is considering four to six new fabrication (fab) plants, 10 Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) plants, and six to 10 compound semiconductor plants over the next five years. Is this feasible, given subsidy requirements, or will the strategy differ?

 

Our targets are realistic considering India’s growing semiconductor demand, and we are fully committed to achieving them. OSAT plant targets will be met within the current programme. One silicon fab and one compound fab have already been approved. Given this initial success, the industry expects more fabs to emerge in the next five years.

 

What is the focus on building the ecosystem, and how much progress has been made?

 

Under ISM, 10 semiconductor plants have been approved so far — eight Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP) plants and two fabs. The focus spans chip design, advanced packaging, compound semiconductors, equipment, materials, and talent development.

 

Beyond these manufacturing projects, 72 startups/micro, small and medium enterprises and 278 academic institutions have received design infrastructure support. Of these, 23 companies have been approved for financial support to develop semiconductor chips/System on a Chip. So far, 20 chips designed by 17 institutes have been taped out at the Semi-Conductor Laboratory in Mohali, with 36 more in the pipeline, for applications across automotive, mobility, computing, communications, and more.

 

India accounts for over 20 per cent of the global semiconductor design workforce and is training 85,000 engineers through the Chips to Startup initiative. More than 60,000 students have already benefited, accumulating over 10 million usage hours on advanced design tools.

 

What are the key takeaways expected from SEMICON India, where 500 companies are participating? Do you see India becoming a hub for wafer exports?

 

SEMICON India, held annually since 2022, is a premier platform for the global semiconductor industry, bringing together leaders, policymakers, experts, and academia. It fosters collaborations, showcases innovations, and announces strategic initiatives to strengthen India’s global semiconductor presence.

 

SEMICON India 2025, a three-day event inaugurated by the Prime Minister on September 2 at Yashobhoomi (India International Convention & Expo Centre), New Delhi, will welcome delegations from 18+ countries, 30+ CXOs, 350+ exhibitors, and semiconductor enthusiasts worldwide. The conference will catalyse business-to-business discussions, memoranda of understanding, and partnerships among industry leaders, startups, and young talent.

 

Bharat is set to emerge as a competitive hub for the full semiconductor value chain, including wafers. Approved OSAT and ATMP projects are expected to generate substantial output, serving telecommunications, automotive, data centres, consumer electronics, and industrial electronics sectors, contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.