India Unveils First Indigenous Chips at SEMICON 2025, Marks Historic Milestone

India’s semiconductor journey achieved a landmark today when the first batch of Made-in-India chips from a pilot production line was presented to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi by Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, at SEMICON India 2025. This milestone comes just three and a half years after the launch of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) in December 2021, marking one of the fastest transitions from policy approval to production in the global semiconductor industry.

A Vision Turned Into Reality

Union Minister Vaishnaw hailed the development as a moment of national pride, crediting the Prime Minister’s farsighted vision, decisive leadership, and commitment to technological self-reliance. “From 7.8% GDP growth to the first Made-in-India chips, Bharat stands today as a lighthouse of stability,” he remarked.

The Minister emphasized that India’s semiconductor mission rests on trust, respect for intellectual property rights, supply chain development, and co-development models. He underscored that India seeks to engage the world as a partner in mutual growth, not as a competitor, making it a trusted hub in the global semiconductor value chain.

Partnerships and MoUs

At SEMICON India 2025, 12 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were announced, aimed at enhancing product development, boosting services, and strengthening India’s talent pool. Highlights include:

1. Tata Electronics–Merck MoU to build manufacturing and packaging capabilities.

2. Tata Electronics–C-DAC MoU for domestic semiconductor design and IP ecosystem.

3. Kaynes Semicon collaborations to launch India’s first localized automotive camera module, MEMs microphones, and advanced semiconductor packages.

4. L&T Semiconductor partnerships with IIT Gandhinagar, IISc Bangalore, and C-DAC for secure chip design, national innovation hubs, and semiconductor research.

5. IoT Evolution Board unveiled by Indiesemic featuring India’s indigenous VEGA processor.

6. NIELIT–Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association MoU for global skill-building.

7. ISM–Arizona State University MoU to strengthen scientific and educational collaboration.

8. C-DAC, Synopsys, and IIT Madras Pravartak MoU to expand design access under the DLI scheme.

These agreements also provide EDA tools, IP cores, and post-silicon validation services, building a complete support infrastructure for startups and industries in India.

Launch of the Deep Tech Alliance

A major announcement was the creation of the Deep Tech Alliance, with nearly $1 billion already committed. Initially focusing on semiconductors, the Alliance will later expand to clean energy, biotechnology, quantum technologies, and space, offering venture capital support to India’s emerging tech ecosystem.

ISM 2.0 and Infrastructure Push

The Minister informed that the modernization of the Semiconductor Laboratory in Mohali is progressing rapidly, enabling higher production capacity and new product tape-outs. Building on the success of ISM 1.0, the government will soon launch ISM 2.0, expanding its support to fabs, OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) units, capital equipment, and material manufacturing.

Exports will play a central role in India’s approved projects, with independent studies showing that semiconductor production in India is already 15–30% more cost-competitive than global averages. With two fabs operational and more projects in the pipeline, India’s semiconductor ecosystem is gaining exponential momentum.

Building Global Confidence

The presence of global semiconductor leaders such as ASML, Lam Research, Applied Materials, Merck, and Tokyo Electron underscored international confidence in India’s semiconductor story. Their participation signaled that India is now firmly embedded in the global semiconductor ecosystem.

Talent and Innovation at the Core

In a unique initiative, 20 student-designed chips from the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) were presented to the Prime Minister, showcasing India’s growing design capabilities. With 78 universities using advanced Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, India already contributes 20% of the world’s semiconductor design talent.

India’s Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme has spurred more than 28 startups into production, generated valuable intellectual property, and identified 25 priority products for development. Indigenous contributions, such as microcontrollers from IIT Madras, reflect India’s growing strength in chip design and product innovation.

Towards a $1 Trillion Opportunity

The global semiconductor market is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030. With strong positioning in talent, trust, and technology, India aims to secure a significant share, driving the vision of making the country a global semiconductor hub.

“Design is ready. Mask is aligned. Now is the time for precision execution,” Minister Vaishnaw declared, reaffirming India’s resolve to deliver chips “Designed in India, Made in India, and Trusted by the World.”

About SEMICON India and ISM

SEMICON India is part of the global SEMICON exposition series, organized by SEMI, which connects over 3,000 companies and 1.5 million professionals across the semiconductor value chain.

The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), serves as the nodal agency to evaluate proposals, facilitate partnerships, manage fiscal incentives, and create a globally competitive semiconductor ecosystem.

With the presentation of India’s first indigenous chips, new international collaborations, the launch of the Deep Tech Alliance, and the upcoming rollout of ISM 2.0, India has decisively positioned itself on the global semiconductor map. The milestone signals not just technological progress but also a strategic leap toward economic security, self-reliance, and leadership in advanced technologies.