All semiconductor projects approved by the Indian government to date are expected to produce over 24 billion chips per annum, with even more projects in the pipeline, a senior IT ministry official announced on Thursday. Speaking at an event organised by the German applied research organization Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Amitesh Sinha, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and IT and CEO of the India Semiconductor Mission, confirmed that the government has approved six projects. These include a wafer fabrication plant by Tata Electronics and five packaging units.
"The Tata fab is going to produce 50,000 wafers per month. The other five packaging units are going to produce 24 billion chips per annum," Sinha stated. He added, "There are many more proposals under appraisal, so in the near future, you will see a lot of approvals coming up".
Long-term player in the semiconductor space
Sinha emphasised India's commitment to being a long-term player in the semiconductor space. "We are here for a long-term journey. Semiconductor is not a business for a few years. We assure all of you that the policies will be continued, and support for the development of the entire ecosystem will be provided," he affirmed.
The government has already implemented a Rs 76,000-crore scheme to bolster India's semiconductor ecosystem, with a significant portion of these funds already committed to the recently approved projects.
Recycling
Sinha highlighted potential areas for collaboration with Fraunhofer, particularly in rare earth materials and permanent magnet recycling. He reiterated India's progress in semiconductors, noting, "Coming back to semiconductors, we are seeing that India has approved some proposals and is going to approve many others". He also urged German semiconductor companies to support fabrication activities within India, pointing to significant collaboration opportunities as India ventures into high-technology research.
Supply chain ecosystem
"Now we are also going to develop the supply chain ecosystem in India. In the supply chain, a lot of technologies will be required for the high-grade purity of chemical gases and materials. Fraunhofer's research is very strong in materials," Sinha explained. He further noted the vast scope in 2D materials or graphene, where some Indian R&D organisations are already conducting research, potentially leading to chips over 10 times smaller than current silicon-based chips.
Concluding his remarks, Sinha underscored India's role as a trusted partner in the global supply chain, emphasising the transparency of its policies. "The honorable Prime Minister of India has already announced that we would like to be a trusted player in the global supply chain. Whatever industry we are setting here, whether it is semiconductor or artificial intelligence or quantum computing, it is for the better use for the entire world," Sinha concluded.
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