India’s independence day was used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to underscore a bold push to turn the country into a global chipmaking hub. He highlighted six semiconductor fabrication facilities currently under construction in India and said four more had been approved recently, with the aim that by year’s end a “Made in India” chip, manufactured in Bharat by the people of Bharat, will be available in the market.
Modi acknowledged that India could have claimed this position decades ago, noting that the idea of semiconductors began spreading 50 to 60 years ago and that missed opportunities allowed other nations to establish leadership in the field. He referenced the dominance of semiconductor powerhouses such as Taiwan and China in the current era as part of the broader context for India’s ambitions.
In a related thread, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw posted remarks about historical attempts to bring chipmaking to India. He cited Robert Noyce’s 1960s visits and Intel’s late-2000s interest as indicators of interest in India’s potential, while also acknowledging that dates around those visits vary in historical accounts. Vaishnaw also noted that Fairchild built a factory in Hong Kong in 1964, a point he used to illustrate the global momentum in the sector.
Modi’s address also called for deeper indigenization across technology sectors, urging the development of Indian operating systems, cybersecurity tools, advanced technologies, and artificial intelligence that harness the strength of Indian talent. He argued for self-reliance across critical areas, including electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and other components essential for electrification and energy infrastructure, with a broader aim of securing supply chains and minerals domestically.
Yet the remarks also acknowledged the practical hurdles ahead. While the government has signaled that semiconductor plants could begin production within the year, progress on home-grown chip architectures remains less clear. India has showcased modest RISC-V designs, but they have yet to scale to the complexity required for a domestic high-performance computing roadmap or a home-grown supercomputer.
What this means for India’s tech landscape
– A sharpened push for local production could diversify supply chains and reduce import dependence, potentially spurring investment, jobs, and downstream innovation in electronics, design services, and manufacturing.
– Realizing a full domestic chip ecosystem will require sustained policy support, skilled talent development, capital, and robust IP frameworks to translate assembly and fabrication into globally competitive design and manufacturing capabilities.
– The roadmap combines both large-scale manufacturing ambitions and the push for indigenous software, security, and AI ecosystems, signaling a broader strategy to grow not just devices but the software and platform layers that accompany them.
What to watch next
– Timelines on the six plants’ operations and the four additional approvals, including start dates and production ramp-ups.
– Updates on India’s efforts to advance native chip architectures and high-end computing capabilities beyond early RISC-V demonstrations.
– Government measures to build local talent, R&D funding, and partnerships with global and domestic industry players to sustain the chipmaking push.
In summary, Modi’s Independence Day address framed India’s semiconductor push as a long-term national project aimed at self-reliance and global competitiveness. If realized, the plan could reshape India’s technology sector and its role in global supply chains, while presenting challenges that will require coordinated policy, investment, and skills development.