Tech announcements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to United States a “milestone” for India’s semiconductor growth: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and others during his State visit in Washington, USA on June 21, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The big announcements by players like Micron, Applied Materials and Lam Research during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s United States visit are a “significant and meaningful milestone” in the expansion of the semiconductor ecosystem in the country, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on June 23. He also said the three proposals in the high-tech arena strengthen the two countries’ resolve to shape the future of technology, products and services.

Also Read | Technology to contribute 20-25% of Indian GDP by 2025-26: IT Minister Chandrasekhar

The announcements would create an estimated minimum of 80,000 direct jobs, in addition to indirect jobs in the supply chain, Mr. Chandrasekhar said. The proposals would catalyse the electronics and semiconductor ecosystem, the Minister said during a briefing and added that in the areas of AI (Artificial Intelligence), and high-performance computing, the partnership between India and the U.S. would shape the future of technology.

His comments come amid the Prime Minister’s momentous and historic visit to the U.S., which is boosting diplomatic, economic and trade ties between both nations. In a tweet earlier, Chandrasekhar termed the latest developments “big milestones” in India’s road map and growth as a semiconductor nation, and said the world recognised India’s rise as an economic and tech power.

The announcements include major investments by Global Memory and storage chipmaker Micron Tech in a multi-billion dollar packaging facility, global semiconductor equipment leaders like Applied Materials’ new semiconductor centre for commercialisation and innovation and Lam Research’s training programme in India for up to 60,000 high-tech engineers.

Aslo Read | Skills are of paramount importance in post-COVID era: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

“In the last 18 months after the announcement of Semiconductor vision by PM @narendramodi ji and investment of Rs 76,000 crore to catalyze and build Indias Semicon Ecosystem, much progress has been made,” the Minister said in his tweet.

He highlighted the vibrant semiconductor design innovation ecosystem, which is growing rapidly with scores of new startups including five under the Semicon India FutureDESIGN programme.

“This is the progress that PM Narendra Modi ji’s vision and leadership has delivered at such speed in this short period. These milestones are just the beginning as there is more to come as India rapidly grows as a significant and trusted partner to Global Electronics and Semiconductor Value and Supply Chains,” Mr. Chandrasekhar said.