India's chip path is clearly laid out: Ashwini Vaishnaw outlines road map
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Vaishnaw said India’s semiconductor ambitions rest on a clear sequence: establish a foothold in high-volume chip manufacturing, develop domestic design capabilities and progressively move towards advanced technologies
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Loading...×India is aiming to move from 28-nanometre chip manufacturing to 3-nanometre technology by 2035, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said as he outlined the country’s roadmap to build a competitive semiconductor ecosystem.Speaking at the NDTV World Summit on October 23, the minister laid out a roadmap that prioritises large-volume production, domestic design capabilities and a wider semiconductor supply chain.
Vaishnaw said India’s semiconductor ambitions rest on a clear sequence: establish a foothold in high-volume chip manufacturing, develop domestic design capabilities and progressively move towards advanced technologies
Addressing concerns that India risks entering the industry with outdated technology, Vaishnaw said the strategy prioritises the segment where manufacturing dependence is most consequential. Around 75% of chips used across products, from refrigerators and automobiles to mobile phones, fall within the 28-nanometre to 19-nanometre range, he said.
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Although these legacy nodes command less value and involve lower complexity than advanced chips, they account for substantial volumes. Vaishnaw warned that manufacturing capacity in this segment was becoming concentrated in one country, creating a supply-chain vulnerability.
India’s decision to begin with a 28-nanometre fabrication plant is intended to address this dependence and establish the country as a reliable manufacturing partner. The Tata project at Dholera is progressing well, he said. The roadmap envisages India producing 5-nanometre and 3-nanometre chips by 2035, with a progression from 28 nanometres to 14 nanometres and then to 5 nanometres.
Vaishnaw said the first semiconductor mission had set a modest benchmark of three plants because of the complexity involved. India now has 15 plants, he said, while five have already started commercial production since the journey began in January 2022. A sixth is expected to be inaugurated shortly, and the 12 plants under the first mission are expected to be completed soon.
Indian-made chips are already being exported to Japan, the US and Europe, reflecting the quality and reliability achieved so far, he said.
Also read | India smartphone shipments fall to decadal low as prices squeeze demand
The second phase, Semicon 2.0, will place greater emphasis on building the ecosystem around fabrication plants and assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) facilities. Design will be its foremost priority, alongside materials and equipment.
Vaishnaw said India would consider attracting at least three manufacturers of sophisticated semiconductor equipment to establish manufacturing and design operations in the country a measure of success. Bringing five manufacturers of highly pure chemicals and gases to India is another target. The initiative also aims to expand the pipeline of deep-tech startups capable of securing venture capital funding from around 20 under the first phase to 200.
India already accounts for 20% of the world’s design engineers, supported by a talent pipeline spanning more than 300 universities, he said.
Indian-designed phones on the horizon
Vaishnaw also outlined a broader ambition to retain intellectual property within India and develop an indigenous mobile phone brand. By October 23, 2028, he expects India to have mobile phones that are designed, manufactured and branded domestically.He cited the development of a locally designed mobile-phone motherboard by an Indian company, whose design was selected by one of the largest US telecom service providers.
The company has already manufactured and delivered a 5G-plus phone to customers, demonstrating capabilities developed over three and a half years.
Vaishnaw said the longer-term goal was to strengthen Indian ownership of technology and design as electronics becomes one of the country’s leading export sectors.
The strategy, he noted, will be judged not merely by the number of semiconductor plants established, but by whether India develops the equipment suppliers, materials manufacturers, startups and design expertise needed to sustain the industry.
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