"We will create very strong semiconductor industry in PM Modi's next term": Ashwini Vaishnaw

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 14 : Stating that semiconductors are the gateway to everything that is used in people's lives and almost every industry, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that in the Bharatiya Janata Party's next term, a very strong semiconductor industry will be built on the foundation laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology was speaking in Chennai, where he inaugurated a design centre of American semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm.
Addressing the event, Vaishnaw said, "Semiconductor is the gateway to the automobile industry, to industrial electronics, to laptops, to servers, to mobile phones, to consumer electronics like refrigerators, TV, to transportation like trains, aeroplanes, scooty, bikes, cars, practically everything that we use in our lives today, everything that is switched on or switched off uses a semiconductor."
He appreciated the ecosystem, value chain and talent pipeline created by PM Modi for semiconductors, which is the foundation for a developed nation
"It is very important to get this value chain in India, and it makes us happy that, with today's inauguration, practically every piece of the ecosystem, every piece of the value chain is now set," the Union Minister said.
He added, "In the next term of PM Modi, we will build upon this and create a very strong semiconductor industry in our country. We will also look at developing many chip sets from end to end, many new products that we will develop only in our country, will look at many different verticals of electronics where will go deeper."
The US-headquartered multinational corporation, Qualcomm, is famed for designing and manufacturing semiconductors and wireless telecommunications products.
Vaishnaw said that Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon has agreed to partnerships with Centre and state governments to create a road map for developing industrial electronics, automobile electronics, and telecom electronics, and for developing more design capabilities in our country.
"This is just the beginning; in the next five years, we should be seeing at least four or five more Fabs and many more ATMP units. We started this journey on December 15, 2021, when our Prime Minister approved the India Semiconductor Mission. When we started interacting with the semiconductor companies, one of the fundamental things which they came up with, was there is a series of gases and chemicals almost about 250 very specialized gases and chemicals which are required in the manufacturing of semiconductors," he said.
"So after interacting with the gas companies and chemical companies, the fundamental thing that came out of those discussions is, that there is a very large chemical hub in a place called Dahej in Gujarat, which is practically among the top, I wouldn't have the exact ranking but it is among the top 20 chemical hubs in the entire world, that was something which started about 20 years back and within those 20 years or 25 years Dahej has become a very large chemical and gas hub," the Union Minister further said.
Vaishnaw said that the Union government is open to give opportunities to any state that would like to focus on the semiconductor industry. He added that in the four projects which have been approved and where the construction has started, the total investment stands at approximately one lakh sixty thousand crores.
Earlier in the day, the Union Minister took to social media platform X, stating, "PM Shri @narendramodi Ji's vision is to develop complete semiconductor ecosystem. Today one more building block - Qualcomm semiconductor design center inaugurated in Chennai. Thankyou Mr. @cristianoamon and special thanks for showing up in Indian traditional attire."
The minister also launched its 6G University Research India Program today, at the Ramanujan IT City, Taramani, Chennai.
These initiatives mark a crucial step forward in Qualcomm's journey of innovation also strengthening its presence in India. This expansion entails an investment of Rs 177.27 crore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones for three new semiconductor plants in the country on Wednesday. In India's endeavour to ramp up its semiconductor ecosystem, three new chip plants - two in Gujarat and one in Assam are being set up- in addition to the under-construction chip plant at Sanand in Gujarat. Tata Group is setting up two of these three new plants.
The semiconductor industry in India is still in a nascent stage, with various local and multinational companies intending to tap its vast potential.
The Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India was notified on December 21, 2021, with a total outlay of Rs 76,000 crore.