India wants its semiconductor capabilities to reach into everyday products, including cars, televisions and refrigerators, as well as critical power infrastructure in the coming years, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, outlining the wide-ranging chip-making prowess the country aims to build.
Under the second phase of the semiconductor programme, the government has committed ₹1.27 lakh crore to expand the domestic ecosystem and attract global investments. The Minister’s vision comes as India steps up efforts to establish a larger presence in the global semiconductor value chain, with the government seeking to move beyond chip assembly and testing, and build capabilities spanning design, fabrication, equipment and materials. “…we don’t really see the chip; we see the finished product.
When we buy a TV, we don’t see the chip inside it, but it is the chip which is driving the entire thing,” he said, describing the semiconductor as the “brain” and “heart” of a television.
Mr. Vaishnaw cited a display-control module plant coming up in Uttar Pradesh as an example of the capabilities India is seeking to build. The Minister also pointed to the planned LED display fabrication facility by Crystal Matrix, saying the company has gone down to a complex level of 40 microns from 90 microns, and was setting up a research and development facility in India.
The module controls how a television displays the final picture, and it will be manufactured in the country, he said.
