Silicon Dreams: SEMICON India 2026

1. SEMICON India 2026 – Why in News?

• 17 September 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate SEMICON India 2026 at Yashobhoomi, Dwarka.
• Theme: “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem.”
• The event highlights India's transition from electronics manufacturing to semiconductor manufacturing.

2. Why are Semiconductors Strategic?

• Semiconductors are the foundation of modern electronics, powering:
  • Smartphones and automobiles
  • Drones and aircraft
  • Healthcare and MRI equipment
  • Satellites and defence systems

The COVID-19 chip shortage demonstrated the vulnerability created by concentrated global semiconductor supply chains.

3. India’s Electronics Manufacturing Transformation

• India now manufactures 99.2% of the mobile phones it uses.
• Smartphones became India's largest exported commodity in FY 2025–26.
• Electronics manufacturing supports around 2.5 million jobs.
• India is now the world's second-largest mobile phone manufacturer by volume.

4. Semicon India Programme

Semicon 1.0 – 2021

• Outlay: ₹76,000 crore
• Covers the semiconductor value chain:
  Design → Fabrication → Packaging → Testing → Equipment → Materials → Talent

Semicon 2.0 – July 2026

• Outlay: ₹1,27,500 crore
• Six pillars:
  1. Chip design
  2. Semiconductor equipment & materials
  3. Fabrication facilities
  4. Advanced packaging
  5. R&D
  6. Talent development

5. Semiconductor Projects on the Ground

• 12 projects approved across 6 states.
• Investment commitments exceed ₹1.64 lakh crore.
• Projects cover silicon and compound-semiconductor fabs, display fabrication and advanced packaging.
• 3 facilities have started commercial production.

6. Building Semiconductor Talent

• Target: 85,000 skilled semiconductor engineers within this decade.
• Chips to Startup (C2S):
  • EDA tools deployed in 320 institutions.
  • 68,000+ students trained.
• 24 chip-design projects approved.
• 105 startups/MSMEs received EDA-tool support.
• By April 2026:
  • 211 chips taped out
  • Developed by 75 institutions
  • 7 chips fabricated, including nodes down to 12 nm.

7. ChipIN Centre – Democratizing Chip Design

• Established at C-DAC under C2S and DLI initiatives.
• Provides shared access to:
  • Advanced chip-design tools
  • Fabrication services
  • Specialised training
• Reached 1 lakh+ engineers from 500+ organisations.
• Includes 400 academic institutions and 100 start-ups.
• More than 300 chip designs developed.
• Over 4 crore hours of chip-design tool usage recorded.

8. Global Semiconductor Partnerships

• India joined the Pax Silica coalition in 2026.
• Focus: securing the global “silicon stack”—from critical minerals and fabrication to AI systems and infrastructure.
• Reflects India's growing role in global semiconductor supply-chain resilience.

9. SEMICON India 2026 – Scale

• 600+ exhibitors
• 300 international companies
• 15,000 sq. metres exhibition space
• 150+ speakers
• 6 country pavilions
• 12 state pavilions
• Startup showcase, student hackathon, workforce-development pavilion and Women Forum.

Reference

PIB