Govt evaluating 9 proposals on semiconductor manufacturing: MoS IT

Crediting the Micron investment for sparking manufacturing interest in India, Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday said that at least nine semiconductor manufacturing proposals were undergoing the analysis stage in the Ministry.

“We have received two fab proposals, four OSAT proposals and three proposals for compound fabs, and all of them are very high-quality proposals which are currently undergoing an analysis,” said Chandrasekhar.

He was speaking on the occasion of National Startup Day and also said that the country will see many startups in emerging spaces like semiconductors, electronics, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing, among others, in the coming days.

Recently, Tata group announced setting up a semiconductor fabrication unit in the state of Gujarat.

Speaking at the tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran announced that the group was exploring opportunities to set up a huge semiconductor fab facility in Dholera, Gujarat.

The tenth edition of the summit also saw the signing of an MoU between Ahmedabad-based Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Gujarat Knowledge Society to create a semiconductor design ecosystem and talent development program for space and commercial technology.

Last year, US-based semiconductor giant Micron became the first company to announce a chip manufacturing plant in India. The plant, which is to come up in Gujarat’s Sanand, will cost over $2.75 billion, a significant portion of which will be provided by the central and state government.

According to government estimates, the Sanand unit of Micron is expected to create up to 5,000 direct and 15,000 indirect job opportunities over the next five years.

The Centre provides financial assistance to semiconductor manufacturers under its $10-billion incentive scheme, announced in 2021. Furthermore, different states also promote manufacturing according to their state-specific policies.