(Eds: With correction in spelling in Hdg, and adding matter)
New Delhi, Jan 27 (.) Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday expressed confidence that as the country moves towards 2029, and the second phase of country’s semiconductor mission (Semicon 2.0), to expand chip making, natures, India will become a major global player in the area.
The minister said that the country has mapped out the path from going to 28 nanometer (nm) to 7 nm, 7 to 3 nm, adding that the country has studied as to how Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and other nations have taken this journey in chip building. “After studying all of this, also based on the talent India has, the nation has chalked out a path towards 2 nano meters,” he said.
Experts explain that the transition from 28nm to 7nm and 2nm represents a generational reduction in transistor size, allowing for exponentially higher transistor density, faster performance, and better energy efficiency. Vaishnaw exuding confidence, claimed that the “world now believes that by 2035 India will be amongst most important semi- conductor nations in the world”.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi on Tuesday, the minister stated that country is going to create own Intellectual Property (IP) in six systems including Radio Frequency, networking, power, sensor and memory under its semiconductor mission.
Vaishnaw said that upon completion of four years of the country’s semiconductor mission, “around ten projects are under development, while production for four is going to begin in this year”. He also shared that so far 24 project startups that have come forward in the domain have designed semiconductor chips, while in over 300 institutions, the students have been imparted skills and training for designing semiconductor chips.
Vaishnaw, who was addressing a gathering of chip designs startups here, said that “conversion is taking place, and the country is becoming not just a service provider, but also a product manufacturing nation.” The minister said that the journey had started in 2022, from a semiconductor machine, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had very clearly said that an entire ecosystem must be developed. And in a very short time period the country now has two dozen startups as a part of the program.
He said that support that India’s semiconductor mission has given is very unique, and the intention is to double the same, and in the next version of our semiconductor mission, the plan is to get at least 50 companies in the country.
The government of India is investing Rs 4,500 Cr Semi Conductor Laboratory (SCL) Mohali which was on the oldest chip design laboratory in Asia.
Recently, Vaishnaw had paid a visit to ASML Headquarters in Veldhoven, Netherlands, and had said that it is the world’s leading provider of lithographic tools. “Our fab in Dholera will be using the ASML equipment. So, I have come to visit here and understand their technology”, he had said.
He had said that ASML’s coming to India is a significant development as many of the equipment manufacturers from all over the world are now looking at setting up base in India, because of the country’s design capabilities, huge talent pool and consistent policies. . APS JRC KK