Dr.Thomas (Special Correspondent)
•Semiconductor chips are at the core of several items such as mobile phones, laptops,TV,cars,trains,etc that we use in our daily lives.
•PM Narendra Modi ji gave India the vision of developing the semiconductor ecosystem within the country. On 1st January 2022,India’s semiconductor program was announced.This program has a clear focus on developing holistic semiconductor ecosystem in India.
• The 3 announcements related to semiconductors made by PM Modi in US are an important milestone in our journey towards developing the semiconductor ecosystem.
• First announcement is that Micron Technology Inc. will invest 2.75 billion dollars (more than Rs.22,000 Cr.) in the next 5 years to build a new semiconductor unit in India. Micron is among top 10 largest semiconductor companies in the world.
• Micron’s India unit will manufacture memory and storage products used in PCs,network equipment and data centers. This unit will generate direct employment of 5,000 and indirect employment of 15,000.
• Second announcement is that Applied Materials will invest more than 400 million US dollars (more than Rs. 3,000 Cr) in the next 4 years to set up a collaborative engineering centre in Bengaluru.Applied Materials is a leading supplier of semiconductor equipment, services and software.
• Third announcement is that Lam Research will join hands with India Semiconductor Mission to train talent for semiconductor industry. Lam’s “Semiverse” virtual solution will be used for training 60,000 engineers in India over next 10 years.
• These announcements will prove to be major breakthroughs for India achieving the goal of developing complete semiconductor ecosystem.
• Successive governments have tried to build semiconductor industry in India over last 40 years. However, only now, as a result of PM Modi’s visionary leadership, India’s dream is getting fulfilled.
• The entire world is looking at India as a trusted partner in semiconductor supply chain.