India to launch first semiconductor chip in 2025
Davos announcement confirms that India is set to take the plunge into new market this year
Indian manufacturers are making preparations for what would mark a significant leap in the global tech arena with the production of the country’s first domestically manufactured semiconductor chips in 2025. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics, and Information Technology, announced the ambitious plans during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He said, “Our first ‘Made in India’ chip will be rolled out this year, and now we are looking at the next phase, where we can get equipment manufacturers, material manufacturers, and designers in India. For materials, from parts per million purity, we need to go to parts per billion purity levels. This requires huge transformative changes in the process, and the industry is working to achieve this.”
Originally scheduled for December 2024, the chip is now apparently expected to see the light of day around August or September 2025. A semiconductor fabrication plant, likely backed by Taiwan’s Powerchip together with Tata from India, is also set to become operational next year.
The first set of “Made-in-India” chips will utilize the 28nm process, widely used in industries such as automotive, consumer electronics, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
India has long been working to expand its semiconductor industry, in response to global demand and the government’s ambition to position the country as a reliable alternative to Chinese and Taiwanese suppliers. The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) has been established to formulate and implement strategies for the semiconductor sector and plans are also in place to attract substantial foreign investment. Companies such as NXP Semiconductors, Analog Devices, and Micron Technology are already committing significant resources to the country in a trend that is seen as likely to continue.