India a 'lighthouse of stability,' says Vaishnaw; invites global investors

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that the country's electronics production has surged six-fold and exports eight-fold in the last decade

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday called India a "lighthouse of stability and growth" amid turbulent global times, and urged global industry leaders to invest in the nation's rapidly expanding semiconductor ecosystem.

Speaking at Semicon India 2025, Electronics and IT Minister Vaishnaw highlighted the significant progress made by India in three and a half years since the launch of the India Semiconductor Mission.

"In a short span of three and a half years, we have the world looking at India with confidence. Today, construction of five semiconductor units is going on at a rapid pace. Pilot line of one unit is completedtwo more units will start production in a few months from now.

"We are living in unprecedented times. Global policy turmoil has created huge uncertainty. In these turbulent times, India stands as a lighthouse of stability and growth," the minister said.

Urging global investors to invest in India, Vaishnaw highlighted the nation's stable policy environment and transparent management of the semiconductor mission.

He noted that the country's electronics production has surged six-fold and exports eight-fold in the last decade.

With the "Make in India" initiative propelling new plants across various sectors, the demand for semiconductors is increasing every quarter, making it an opportune time for investment, Vaishnaw asserted.

He also emphasised India's deep and expanding pool of talent, and detailed that 278 universities have been equipped with the latest EDA (electronic design automation) tools, enabling 60,000 engineering students to accumulate over 13 million hours of work.

Seventeen student teams have successfully designed and taped out chips, which were presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

Furthermore, Vaishnaw highlighted India's vibrant startup ecosystem, which is attracting significant investor confidence in semiconductor design startups.

He noted that the intellectual properties developed by these startups are increasingly being embedded in products of leading international manufacturers.

"Industry leaders, you should also come to India because we are now on a path to becoming a product nation. Our design capabilities, which are very well known, our deep talent pool again growing exponentially, and now the manufacturing facilities, which are getting developed in India, will give you a unique advantage. You will grow with India's growth," Vaishnaw said.