First 'Made-in-India' chip to be launched by September-October: Vaishnaw

Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the first 'Made-in-India' chip will come out in September or October this year, reported The Economic Times.

 

Addressing the media in Bengaluru on Saturday, Vaishanw said the government has granted Rs 334 crore to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, "for new research and development (R&D) in gallium nitride, a technology in semiconductors, which is used in telecom and power." The government will soon come out with a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for components, he added.

 

Tata Electronics, in partnership with Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC), is making India's first semiconductor fab in Gujarat's Dholera.

 

According to information on IISc website, GaN is touted to be India’s opportunity to mark its presence in the niche field of semiconductors. A interdisciplinary group of faculty members at IISc have developed India’s first-ever e-mode gallium nitride power transistor, whose performance is comparable to some of the best reports till date, it says.

 

Last month, Vaishnaw said that the first ‘Made-in-India’ chip will be rolled out this year. Notably, the chip was supposed to be launched in December 2024, as announced by Vaishnaw at the Davos summit in January last year. 

 

In December 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Semicon India programme with a total outlay of Rs 76,000 crore for the development of semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in our country. The programme aims to provide financial support to companies investing in semiconductors, display manufacturing and design ecosystems.

 

The government has also set up India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) as an independent business division within Digital India Corporation. This division has administrative and financial autonomy to formulate and drive India’s long-term strategies for developing semiconductors and display manufacturing facilities and semiconductor design ecosystem.

 

According to a Reuters report, India’s semiconductor market is projected to reach $63 billion by 2026.