Creating big strength of talent: Minister unveils India’s semiconductor development blueprint

NEW DELHI: Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (IT) Ashwini Vaishnaw, during a media interaction following the cabinet’s approval of three new semiconductor units, provided a comprehensive overview of India’s burgeoning semiconductor ecosystem in a moment for India’s technological advancement.

Using a whiteboard in his office, the minister delineated the intricate framework that underpins the country’s strategy to become a global player in semiconductor manufacturing. “Imagine this as your fab, and this as your AT&T”, Minister Vaishnaw gestured, laying out the foundation of India’s semiconductor landscape. “Beyond this lies electronics manufacturing”, he continued, “let’s call it the circuit. Any circuit in which it will go”.

#WATCH | Delhi | During his media interaction after the cabinet approval of 3 more semiconductor units, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw explains the development of India’s semiconductor ecosystem on the whiteboard in his office. pic.twitter.com/D9RHfhAryE

— ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2024

Highlighting the core components, minister Vaishnaw emphasized the crucial role of talent and research and development (R&D). “Below all these, we are creating the primary big strength of talent, talent pool,” he elucidated. He pointed out that the most essential and expensive tools in R&D are supplied by Cadence, Synopsis, and Siemens, collectively known as Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools.

Minister Vaishnaw said, “And second big thing which we are doing is R&D. And here R&D, the way we have structured this is, the most difficult, the most expensive tools, those are tools which are supplied by Cadence, Synopsis and Siemens. These three tools are called EDA tools”.

” These are very expensive. If someone goes to buy one, you will have to shell out 10 crore rupees, 15 crore rupees for a license”, Minister Vaishnaw remarked. “So what we have done is, we have talked to all these 3 companies, we have taken the entire EDA 2 suite of all the 3 companies by the government and we have given this to, all of their license, all of their login, we have given to the 104 universities”, said Minister Vaishnaw.

However, in a significant move, the government has secured the entire EDA 2 suite from these three companies and provided licenses and login credentials to all 104 universities across the nation. “Not just the IITs but also the other three universities”, the minister clarified.

“They are now able to expose their students and train their students onto live tools, not classroom, live tools. They can actually take a project to design a new mobile chip and design it using this. And from that only new startups will emerge”, Minister explained.

Minister Vaishnaw underscored the broader implications of this initiative, stating, “And from that only the talent that will emerge, that talent pool will feed into our large talent pool of 300,000 engineers already”.

He further added, “And this will feed into your design, your fab and your A-Clip. You are seeing the full picture. In this whole picture, this is the way we are working. It’s a very comprehensive program and that’s why the foundations are very important. When you all used to ask, when will the fab come? “

Reflecting on the journey thus far, Minister Vaishnaw expressed pride in the rapid progress made within a two-year timeframe, surpassing the achievements of many countries in five years. Ashwini Vaishnaw underscored the commitment to excellence and the significant progress made in a relatively short period.

By emphasizing the importance of solid work, he implies a dedication to quality and thoroughness in every endeavor undertaken. Despite acknowledging that initial progress may take time, he stresses the importance of laying a strong foundation. Minister Vaishnaw stated, “I always said that whatever we do, we will do very solid work. It takes time in the first work, but always let’s do solid work”.

The minister highlights the remarkable achievements of India’s semiconductor development efforts within just two years, surpassing the accomplishments of many other countries within a five-year timeframe, stating, “And even in that, what we have been able to achieve, what our country has been able to achieve, many countries are not able to achieve that in five years”.

The achievement is celebrated as a testament to the dedication and effectiveness of India’s approach to technological advancement. Furthermore, Minister Vaishnaw discusses the vast potential of the semiconductor industry, noting its expansive ecosystem encompassing various components such as lenses, chemicals, gases, and numerous other elements.

He envisions the development of a comprehensive ecosystem akin to that of Applied Materials, a leading manufacturer of equipment in the semiconductor industry.

The minister’s remarks emphasize India’s commitment to excellence in semiconductor development, the rapid progress achieved, and the ambition to cultivate a robust ecosystem that will drive innovation and propel the nation forward in the global semiconductor landscape.

The minister said, “That much we have been able to do within two years of this timeframe. So today we have all this technology, we have all this and we will start developing this. And with this, the whole ecosystem will come. It has a large ecosystem”. “Your lenses, your chemicals, your gases, hundreds and hundreds of things. So now our attempt is also to bring this ecosystem like applied materials. The biggest manufacturer of equipment”, he added.

Furthermore, Minister Vaishnaw outlined plans to expand the semiconductor ecosystem, including initiatives to attract investments from major players like Applied Materials. “So applied material has started setting up their plant in India. They are designing in India, manufacturing in India, So the equipment also then comes to it. If you think about it, it is completely complete”, said the minister.

In conclusion, Minister Vaishnaw reiterated the alignment of these efforts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a global manufacturing hub. “Everything that is needed in it, all that is there. So the benefit it will get, that benefit will get majorly in every type of manufacturing. So PM sir’s vision of making India, that vision is very complete with it”, he concluded. (ANI)