Centre lays out 5-7 year road map for 7 nanometres chip manufacturing

India sets 5-7 year roadmap for 7nm chip production with IBM, IMEC support, aiming to become a global semiconductor player

The government has laid out a road map that will include, among other things, securing technology which  will enable India to manufacture advanced chips of 7 nanometres (nm) and above in the next five to seven years.

 

This marks a significant step forward. At present, the Tata group — which is setting up the country’s first wafer fabrication plant with an investment of about ₹91,000 crore — will begin by producing chips of 28 nm and above. 

Confirming the plan, a senior official in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) said: “We already have a clear road map to enable companies to manufacture 7 nm and above chips within the next five to seven years. We are tying up the technology and talks are under way. Our 15-year plan is aimed at making India a global player in this space.” 

The official said that discussions had been held, among others, with IBM and with Belgium-headquartered IMEC, an independent nanoelectronics research and development hub. 

Email queries to IMEC and IBM did not receive a response till the time of going to press. 

A nanometre is a unit used to measure the size of transistors. 

The smaller the number, the more densely packed the transistors — resulting in better performance, lower power consumption, and greater functionality of the chip. 

In 2023, IBM signed a strategic partnership with the Indian government to advance semiconductor research. Under the agreement, IBM agreed to support the India Semiconductor Mission in setting up a research centre to build a domestic R&D ecosystem, acting as its knowledge partner. The company would share expertise on intellectual property, tools, and innovations in areas such as logic, advanced packaging, and chip design, leveraging modernised infrastructure. 

Globally, IBM has partnered with Japan’s Rapidus Corporation — a consortium that includes Sony, Toyota, Denso, and NEC among its stakeholders — to develop breakthrough 2nm chip technology for use in Rapidus’ fabrication plant in Japan. In 2021, IBM announced it had created the world’s first 2nm chips. 

The government has also held talks with IMEC to provide technical support for developing India’s semiconductor ecosystem. The research organisation works with TSMC, Intel, and Rapidus to test and develop chip technologies for mass production, and has already unveiled a sub-1nm process and transistor road map extending to 2036. 

Globally, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) — the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer — already produces 5 nm and 3 nm chips and plans to begin mass production of 2 nm chips in the second half of this year.  Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC), a partner of the Tata group, currently manufactures chips of 28 nm and above, and is also believed to be working on a 14nm chip. 

India has taken its first major step in the semiconductor sector, with the government aiming to rank among the world’s top-five players by 2032. In the first phase of the India Semiconductor Scheme, 10 projects have been approved with a combined investment of $18 billion. Of this, about ₹75,000 crore has been earmarked by the government as incentives. 

However, India is also a rapidly growing semiconductor market. According to the India Energy Storage Alliance, demand is projected to reach $100-110 billion by 2030, making up about 10 per cent of global demand. 

Chipping in 

*  Talks on with IBM and IMEC for technology partnerships

  *  Govt has already signed up with IBM for sharing experience on building advanced chip design technologies

  *  IBM, which has 2 nm chip design, has tied up with Rapidus in Japan to produce them in its fab unit