Semicon India 2.0 widens India’s chip ambition with 200 firms, 1 lakh technicians: Ashwini Vaishnaw

NEW DELHI: India’s next phase of its semiconductor push will target at least 200 startups and companies designing chips in the country while creating a new pool of 1 lakh industry-ready semiconductor technicians, Union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday.

Speaking at Semicon India 2026, Vaishnaw said the target would cover companies working across the spectrum of semiconductor requirements. The initiative builds on the first phase of the government’s semiconductor programme, under which 105 startups participated and around 20 secured venture capital funding totalling about Rs 800 crore.

Approved by the Union Cabinet in July with an outlay of Rs 1.275 lakh crore, Semicon India 2.0 is structured around six pillars covering chip design, semiconductor equipment and materials, fabrication, advanced packaging, research and development, and talent development.

The equipment and materials pillar will focus on building capabilities around semiconductor manufacturing machinery and materials. Vaishnaw said the USD 5 billion investment announced at the event would also help create employment in India.

The fabrication pillar will support more semiconductor manufacturing facilities, including silicon wafer fabs, compound semiconductor and photonics facilities, sensors and display fabs.

Advanced packaging will be another key focus, with the government seeking to strengthen India’s ATMP and OSAT ecosystem. Vaishnaw said a 3D packaging unit was already coming up in Odisha.

The R&D pillar will focus on projects addressing advanced industry requirements through closer collaboration between companies and academia. The government intends to make the research more application-led, with industry and academic institutions working together rather than operating in isolation.

Talent development forms the sixth pillar of Semicon India 2.0, with the government shifting greater attention towards technicians, clean-room specialists and factory-floor workers needed as semiconductor manufacturing expands.

Vaishnaw said Semicon India 1.0 had originally targeted the training of 85,000 design engineers over 10 years, but that target was achieved within four years.

The next phase will focus on developing 1 lakh technicians and other industry-ready workers for semiconductor manufacturing. The talent pool is expected to support semiconductor factories being established in India while also contributing to the global pool of skilled workers.

Semicon India 2.0 is designed to broaden the ecosystem created under the first phase and build capabilities across the semiconductor value chain, from chip design and fabrication to packaging, equipment, materials, R&D and workforce development.

Under Semicon India 1.0, the government approved 12 semiconductor projects, three of which have since commenced commercial production, according to the government.

Semicon India 2026 is being held from 17 to 19 September at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi under the theme “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem”. The three-day event is jointly organised by the India Semiconductor Mission, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and SEMI, the global semiconductor industry association.

The event brings together more than 600 exhibitors, including 300 international companies, over 150 speakers and delegations from more than 40 countries. The exhibition spans more than 15,000 square metres, with country and state pavilions as well as programmes focused on startups, students and workforce development.

The broader push marks a shift from building individual semiconductor facilities towards developing an integrated ecosystem spanning design, manufacturing, packaging, research and skilled talent.