India globally competitive in chips: Vaishnaw

New Delhi: India has already hit global benchmarks in the semiconductor sector, with products developed and exported from the country meeting world standards in terms of quality and cost, electronics and information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday.

"We are already globally competitive," Vaishnaw said. "The production that has started at all five plants is meeting the standards for export competition, both in terms of quality and cost. So, we are globally competitive, and it is a very good journey. Semicon 1.0 was all about laying the foundation, while Semicon 2.0 is about building on that foundation."

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the annual Semicon India Summit 2026 in the capital, Vaishnaw said the growth of the ecosystem in India has given the government confidence that more than 100,000 new jobs will easily be created in the semiconductor industry in the near future.


Referring to the five chip packaging facilities that have gone live in the country, Vaishnaw said their products have encouraged other global investors.

The Indian government has been driving a comprehensive programme to build a domestic semiconductor industry over the past half decade or so. Five of the 12 projects sanctioned under the first phase of the Rs 76,000 crore India Semiconductor Mission (ISM 1.0) are operational now. Semiconductor assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) units of Micron Technology, Kaynes Semicon and CG Semi began commercial production earlier this year. ISM 1.0 was launched in December 2021 and operationalised a year later.

The IDTA announced at the summit has invested ₹2,170 crore in 56 deep-tech Indian cos over the past year

Vaishnaw had said on Thursday that the government has seen investment interest of about $11-12 billion from companies as part of ISM 2.0, which was notified just a few weeks ago.

Speaking at the inauguration of the fifth Semicon India Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the country's success in semiconductors will strengthen global supply chains in this critical sector at a time when the world is looking for new and trusted manufacturing destinations amid the weaponisation of these key links.

He had added that India is moving from policy to production and is taking every step needed to become a preferred destination for the chip industry. He had also launched commercial production at two semiconductor packaging facilities-Suchi Semicon's ₹868 crore unit near Surat and CDIL's expansion of its facility in Mohali.

The summit saw 23 MoUs being signed by participating companies. The India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) announced at the summit has invested ₹2,170 crore in 56 deep-tech Indian companies over the past year across artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, robotics, space, energy, biotech and the digital economy. The consortium comprises investors, technology companies Nvidia, Applied Materials, CG Power and Lam Research, as well as leading venture capital and investment firms such as Accel, Blume Ventures, Celesta Capital and Premji Invest.

While more than 300 foreign companies from about 30 countries are participating at the three-day summit, Japan and Singapore lead in terms of contingent size. "Just at the Japan pavilion, 68 Japanese companies are finalizing their manufacturing and research plans, and partnerships in India. Looks like it's going to be a very good journey ahead," Vaishnaw said.

ROUNDTABLE FEEDBACK

The Centre has identified Indian equipment, sub-assembly and component makers that held roundtable discussions with their counterparts from the US, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Europe. On foreign firms calling for more ease of doing business, including the establishment of green corridors for smooth movement of critical equipment, Vaishnaw said the government has assured them all support.

"Very good feedback has also come from the country roundtables. There are issues related to customs, transportation, and permissions. We will work closely together with the industry on all of these," he said.

Vaishnaw said the government is looking to officially adopt an educational model for high school students to establish tier-based competence in semiconductor manufacturing.

"The model has been tested by a major semiconductor company, which is running a 240-hour long course on chips, and the government will adopt it in pillar six of ISM 2.0, under which aims to develop a local talent base," he said. The curriculum of semiconductor training in universities will also be expanded to include systems design, he said.

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who inaugurated the state's pavilion, said it held discussions with companies from Japan and Sweden on Friday. "The 870-acre Odisha Silicon Valley manufacturing park project located in Naraj on the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack highway that we have announced, has received interest. We have also announced an additional 25% fiscal support on eligible capital expenditure for projects approved under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)," he told reporters.

Two projects approved under ISM 1.0 in Odisha--an integrated silicon carbide (SiC) based compound semiconductors facility being established by SicSem Private Limited and 3D Glass Solution's vertically integrated advanced packaging and embedded glass substrate unit-will be ready by next year, he said.