SEMICON India 2026 showcases India’s shift from chip design to full semiconductor ecosystem

NEW DELHI: India’s semiconductor story is no longer confined to chip design. At SEMICON India 2026, the spotlight stretched from processors and AI-enabled chips to advanced packaging, materials, equipment, research and the talent needed to build a complete ecosystem.

Held from 17 to 19 September at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi, the fifth edition of SEMICON India was themed “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem”. More than 600 exhibiting companies from across the world took part, alongside industry leaders, policymakers, investors, academics and start-ups.

The exhibition featured dedicated start-up and workforce development pavilions, country and state pavilions, as well as a hackathon, offering a broad view of India’s expanding semiconductor capabilities.

One of the key themes was the shift from individual chip development towards complete computing systems.

C-DAC showcased its work in high-performance computing and AI, including the AUM HPC-AI Processor and RUDRA-AUM compute node. The displays reflected India’s push to develop indigenous capabilities across both semiconductor components and the systems built around them.

Domestic start-ups and institutions are also working on processors, application-specific chips and system solutions for sectors including telecommunications, automotive technology, artificial intelligence and surveillance.

The exhibition also showed how semiconductor design is finding its way into products used across everyday and industrial applications.

Solutions on display covered smart appliances, connectivity, surveillance, industrial systems, energy management and automotive technologies.

Vervesemi Microelectronics, for instance, is developing semiconductor solutions for motor control, energy meters and data acquisition. Its chips are aimed at applications ranging from consumer appliances and electric mobility to drones.

Such application-specific products highlight the role of domestic chip design in supporting a wider electronics manufacturing ecosystem.

Indigenous processor development was another important part of the exhibition, with C-DAC showcasing its 64-bit RISC-V processor.

Based on the open RISC-V architecture, the processor is designed for high-performance computing and emerging digital applications. Its use in indigenous solutions reflects the growing focus on developing processor technologies and intellectual property within India.

InCore Semiconductors showcased its RISC-V processor IPs and SoC design automation tools. Its processor platforms cater to different computing requirements, including embedded systems and edge-AI applications.

The company’s processor IP has been silicon-proven across multiple customer chips and technology nodes ranging from 180 nm to 16 nm, demonstrating how domestically developed processor IP can support chip development across applications and manufacturing processes.

Aheesa Technology showcased an indigenous internet connectivity device capable of speeds of up to 1 Gbps. The device can enable internet service providers to connect around 64 homes through a single Optical Line Terminal and runs on Vihan, a software platform developed in India.

The solution is powered by C-DAC’s 64-bit RISC-V processor, bringing together an Indian processor, software platform and connectivity application in a single technology stack.

The growing intersection of semiconductors and artificial intelligence was also visible across the exhibition floor.

Indian semiconductor start-up Netrasemi showcased AI-capable System-on-Chips for applications including secure surveillance, smart sensors, robotics, drones and mobility.

The company has taped out an indigenously designed AI SoC for CCTV surveillance using a 12 nm process node. The chip integrates AI and machine-learning accelerators, vision processing and video engines for applications that require intelligent vision and edge processing.

These developments point to the increasing role of specialised semiconductor hardware in machine vision, smart infrastructure, autonomous systems and surveillance.

SEMICON India 2026 also placed the spotlight on the supporting infrastructure needed to turn semiconductor designs into commercial products.

Materials, equipment, testing, packaging and system integration were represented alongside chip design, reflecting the interconnected nature of the semiconductor value chain.

This wider approach aligns with Semicon 2.0, approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2026 with an outlay of Rs 1,27,500 crore. The programme builds on Semicon 1.0 and focuses on six areas: design, machines and materials, fabs, advanced packaging, research and development, and talent development.

The Start-up Pavilion provided another window into India’s emerging chip-design ecosystem.

The Design Linked Incentive Scheme has supported domestic chip-design projects across applications including video surveillance, drone detection, energy meters, microprocessors, satellite communications, broadband and IoT SoCs.

The Chips to Startup Programme is similarly focused on building semiconductor design capabilities among students, researchers, academic institutions and start-ups.

More than one lakh engineers from over 500 organisations, including 400 academic institutions and 100 start-ups, have been onboarded by the ChipIN Centre under the C2S Programme and DLI Scheme.

They have received access to advanced chip-design tools, chip-design and fabrication services, and specialised training. Collectively, these institutions and start-ups have developed more than 300 chip designs for fabrication at foundries in India and overseas, while recording more than four crore hours of chip-design tool usage.

The scale has also created a large centralised base of chip-design users at the ChipIN Centre, strengthening the talent and design infrastructure supporting India’s semiconductor ambitions.

SEMICON India 2026 came as India’s semiconductor programme moves from policy and ecosystem-building towards manufacturing and commercial output.

Under the Semicon India Programme, 12 semiconductor projects have been approved across six states, involving investment commitments of more than Rs 1.64 lakh crore. Three facilities have already begun commercial production.

That gave the exhibition a different context. The displays were not only about what India hopes to build, but also about capabilities already emerging across chip design, manufacturing, packaging and related technologies.

The “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem” theme reflected the widening scope of India’s semiconductor push.

A successful semiconductor industry requires more than fabs. It brings together designers, manufacturers, packaging and testing facilities, equipment and materials suppliers, research institutions, start-ups, system companies and a skilled workforce.

At Yashobhoomi, SEMICON India 2026 brought these layers together, showing how India’s semiconductor ecosystem is developing across the value chain.

From RISC-V processors and AI-enabled SoCs to motor-control chips, high-performance computing and manufacturing infrastructure, the exhibition presented a semiconductor story that increasingly extends beyond the chip itself.

The bigger picture is about building the silicon, systems, people, research, manufacturing capabilities and partnerships needed to turn India’s semiconductor ambitions into a complete ecosystem.