Overview of India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem
Over the course of its development, India’s semiconductor ecosystem has been subjected to numerous attempts that were well-meaning but mostly unsuccessful. Nevertheless, a fresh batch of efforts led by the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in December 2021, appears to be a significant change in the direction of the journey with real progress and fewer interruptions.
Role of Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM)
The ISM was established as the main body responsible for the overall coordination of the vetting and execution of the investment and manufacturing schemes related to the semiconductor industry. In less than four years, ISM has greenlit ten large-scale programs that aim to deepen the semiconductor fabric of India.
Major ISM-Approved Investments
| Company / Project | Investment Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Tata Electronics Private Limited | $10 billion | Semiconductor fab investment |
| Micron Technology | $2.75 billion+ | Construction of an assembly, testing, marking, and packaging (ATMP) facility |
Ongoing Projects Under IPC
The great project under IPC is the fabrication line in Assam that includes the assembly, testing and packaging of semiconductors.
Additional Facilities Across India
- Semiconductor plants in Sanand, Gujarat
- A fab in Uttar Pradesh
- An outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility in the district
Projects Approved on August 12, 2025
- A packaging plant in Odisha
- A semiconductor manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh
- An expansion of a manufacturing unit in Mohali, Punjab
The exact figure of money spent so far is still a little unclear even though $10 billion was earmarked for ecosystem buildup.
Current Status and Outlook
Now about four years after the ISM was born, the Indian semiconductor ecosystem is showing the first signs of becoming more stable and thus, it is on the verge of expansion. It is this progress that reflects a more coordinated government led strategy aimed at solving the issues that had been causing the previous wrong amalgamations and that is now in line with the global semiconductor supply chain priorities. The changing landscape demonstrates that India is determined to be a significant player in semiconductor manufacturing and ancillary activities for the next few years.
Key Divergences Between India and China in Semiconductor Strategy
China considers the rebuilding of its competitive semiconductor industry a matter of national security and has dramatically escalate its efforts to achieve this objective through comprehensive self-contained supply chains in the country. In line with the “Made in China 2025” initiative and a number of other programs, China is committed to creating a full cycle domestic ecosystem backed by the government in design, manufacturing, and supply chain resilience.
Key Features of China’s Semiconductor Strategy
| Feature | Description (Original Text Preserved) |
|---|---|
| Government Support | China’s strategy has involved the use of subsidies, tax incentives, and various funding programs to the semi-conductor industry sources to research and development and also capacity building. Currently, China has already made a $300 billion deposit toward the goal of achieving technology independence with infrastructure projects like new fabs (fabrication plants) scattered around the region still going on. |
| Market Characteristics | In 2020, China accounted for roughly 53.7% of the worldwide semiconductor sales thus is the world’s biggest semiconductor consumer yet is heavily reliant on imports having imported over 83% of the total consumption. The policy stresses the importance of easing off from foreign firms especially from US and European by growing local champions and ecosystem players like YMTC, SMIC, and CXMT by increasing R&D collaboration, joint ventures, and cross supply chain partnerships. |
| Technological Ambitions | China plans to develop cutting-edge manufacturing nodes (e.g., 7nm and below) and by 2025 will produce about 70% of the total output domestically. However, reports continue coming about the difficulties that China still faces even with export control and technology limitation especially concerning advanced equipment for chips like EUV lithography tools which makes China’s production at the most advanced nodes become very difficult. |
| Investment Landscape | Halfway through 2025, the total semiconductor investments in China shows a slight downgrade when compared to 2024 but still strong especially in wafer fabrication which is supported by state and private money. The nation’s plan to include bridging technological gaps and creating local intellectual property (IP) particularly for the sectors that are important for national security and economic independence is still going on. |
Strategic Challenges
- Technology Blockades: Restrictions on where technology are sold particularly those coming from the US, have made it difficult for China to have access to the production machines at the most cutting edge thus they can hardly make large scale productions of 5nm or more minor nodes. There are also possible inefficiencies in the supply chain that can further slowdown the growth of the industry in the future if China does not take the initiative to ensure great independence in the ecosystem and supply chain.
- Ambitious Goals: Up to now questions remain over whether China will be able to pull its plan of reaching self-sufficiency off successfully despite the fact that its policy and investment measures are conducted on a grand scale. Some specialists guess that China will need to spend another trillion USD on top of current budget allocations if it wants to be as technologically independent as the leading countries hence raising doubts about how realistic the 2025 goals are.
Evidence of Incremental Progress in India’s Semiconductor Mission
India’s drive to localize the semiconductor supply chain is happening in an environment characterized by fierce global competition and changing trade relations. India is not a member of major multilateral trade agreements such as RCEP or CPTPP but it has become one of the six largest economies to benefit from U.S. trade policy measures aimed at diversifying supply chains. If we compare India with economies like Vietnam which is strongly interconnected with global value chains and has seen its exports rise partly due to supply chains getting longer as a result of U.S. China trade tensions India’s advantages are more prominent as they have been achieved without such previous integration thereby demonstrating significant progress.
Major Developments Propelling India’s Semiconductor Landscape
- Government funding through the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and the launch of the new Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) in April 2025.
- A flurry of investments in semiconductor fabrication, assembly, testing, and packaging units across Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Punjab.
- Anchor investments including large fabs, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) units, and advanced packaging plants.
India’s Advances in Challenging Technology Domains
- Rapid movement into 3 nanometre chip design at new labs in Noida and Bengaluru.
- Adoption of sophisticated fabrication methods involving silicon carbide semiconductors for defence, space, and automotive needs.
Global Confidence in India’s Semiconductor Sector
News from Moody’s and other sources illustrate that India in tandem with Malaysia and Singapore is a top contender for global semiconductor investments that are capital intensive and technology driven and this is an indication of trust from global investors. Through continuous policies, incentive programs and the building of the necessary infrastructure. India will be able to reinforce her semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem to a great extent and thus, she will become not only capable of meeting domestic demand and but also attractive integrated global supply ecosystems rather than fragmented or stretched supply chains like the ones that exist in other places.
India Evolving Into a Semiconductor Hub
Under these changing circumstances, the Indian semiconductor industry is not only a recipient of benefits from external geopolitical changes but is also developing core ecosystem competencies in the areas of design innovation, raw materials sourcing, and next-generation manufacturing. This holistic strategy is transforming India into a potential hub in the global semiconductor supply chain not only by 2025 but also in the years to come.
Institutionalised Federal State Coordination Framework
Across India’s semiconductor policy driven states such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam, semiconductor projects eligible for support need to first acquire approval from the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM). Upon obtaining the approval of ISM the states then offer additional local level support in the form of incentives to investors on top of the financial assistance by the central government. Odisha is a state which is different in that it extends incentives to semiconductor projects that are not ISM approved as well.
Comparison With Global Coordination Models
The setup of this institution is similar to the European Union’s method under the Chips for Europe Initiative which aims to coordinate and standardize semiconductor funding and incentives at the EU and member states levels so the effects of the support are optimized and duplication is avoided. Likewise, in the U.S., under the CHIPS and Science Act, applicants need to show that they have already obtained certain incentives from the respective local or state authorities where their semiconductor facilities will be built or expanded before they are given access to federal support. This is a procedural sequence that is different from India’s one where state incentives follow federal approval.
Vertically Coordinated Model in India
Therefore, the semiconductor investment scenario in India is such that vertically coordinated model is in place where the federal nodal agency (ISM) examines and approves semiconductor projects, while states offer some additional incentives for the same reflecting in tailored variants the cooperative federal approaches in major semiconductor hubs around the world.
Inter-State Competition for Incentive Allocation
It has been recognized by many that monuments to green energy at the state level do not interact with those at the federal level thus industry figures are allowed considerable liberty in deciding the location of their operations. The instance of Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test (TSAT) setting up an OSAT factory in Assam is the reflection of this interaction most vividly.
Case Example: TSAT in Assam
- TSAT’s move to pump money into Assam made sense even if the state was not a new hub of the semiconductor industry.
- Assam did not offer the most attractive incentive scheme financially at that time.
- Strategic factors, infrastructure capabilities, and regional development objectives influenced the choice.
This case is an affirmation that just catching location through the lens of financial incentives is not enough as strategic factors, infrastructure capabilities or even regional development objectives can be decisive in the choices of locations within India’s semiconductor ecosystem. The story pinpoints how investments flow naturally and remain mutable amidst the complex system of federal and state incentives of different levels.
Gujarat Establishes Early Leadership in India’s Semiconductor Race
Gujarat’s ability to attract a large portion of semiconductor investments in India can be explained by the top-down push narratives only to a certain extent. There are a lot of other factors contributing to that.
First State With Dedicated Semiconductor Policy
Gujarat was the first Indian state to launch its dedicated semiconductor policy whereas the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh are primarily involved in electronics manufacturing with a general focus on semiconductors. This focused effort has enabled Gujarat to have a specially tailored and investor friendly framework that meets the requirements of the semiconductor industry.
Greenfield Clusters and Infrastructure Advantage
The state has committed itself to developing huge greenfield semiconductor industrial clusters such as the Dholera SIR, which stretches over 900 square kilometres as part of its plan. This smart industrial city built specifically for the needs of the semiconductor industry not only has integrated infrastructure but is also very close to two major ports which gives Gujarat an edge in terms of both logistics and scale over other states.
| State | Type of Cluster | Scale | Logistics Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gujarat (Dholera SIR) | Greenfield | 900+ sq km | Close to two major ports |
| Karnataka / Tamil Nadu / Andhra Pradesh | Brownfield | Small-scale | Moderate |
To sum up, the electronic and automotive clusters in these other states are generally brownfield and small-scale thus making Dholera stand out as a leading destination for semiconductor firms.
Impact of Micron’s Investment
Since 2023, Micron’s multi-billion-dollar investment in Gujarat has had a significant positive impact. What is more the entry of Micron Inducted an entire ecosystem comprising global suppliers and sub-suppliers along with Micron itself hence endorsing the readiness of India for large scale semiconductor manufacturing. This massive injection of capital proved the viability of the Gujarat ecosystem and turned the region into a magnet for both talent and capital.
Incentive Comparison With Other States
While other states have equally, if not more attractive incentives on offer Uttar Pradesh, for instance, is ready to shoulder up to 100% of the total eligible project cost the decisive factor stylizes the speed and efficiency of project execution.
- Gujarat offers additional capital expenditure support of about 40% of the central government’s assistance.
- This is lower or comparable to other states.
- But Gujarat excels in fast approvals, land allotment, and utilities access.
This is evidenced by the fact that the earlier MOU of ISMC consortium for $3 billion in Karnataka has not yet resulted in a project.
Insufficient Emphasis on Developing Indigenous Electronic Design Automation Tools
Electronic device design has become more complicated in the semiconductor field as a result of technology scaling and integrations and at the same time there are increasing demands for power efficiency, performance, reliability, and security. This development opens the door for creating new verticals along the semiconductor value chain. For instance, existing electronic design automation (EDA) tools largely monopolized by three U.S. companies could be made less complex or more diversified thus resolving complexity and cost issues that have been increasingly impeding chip design workflows.
The semiconductor industry, in its lifetime, has always been able to create entirely new use cases when faced with economic pressures and changing market requirements. One such case is Qualcomm which foreseeing chip miniaturization as a key enabler of multi-frequency call processing in mobile phones. Qualcomm developed the technology that made it possible for the handsets to handle call data across different frequencies in a fast and efficient way, thus, it was able to secure the most valuable form of innovation in this area intellectual property and completely transform the mobile communication technology.
Such examples underline the role of emerging markets in the creation of new semiconductor devices and solutions. The rise of new applications, which is mainly driven by sectors such as AI, autonomous vehicles and cloud computing, calls for the semiconductor ecosystem to continually reinvent itself thus creating a self-reinforcing cycle of innovation that has impact on both chip design and supply chain evolution.
Basically, today’s difficulty in semiconductor design when combined with innovation propelled by market dynamics reveals that there are still plenty of opportunities for new tools, processes, and device categories that not only can extend the industry beyond its traditional limits but also can generate fresh growth and competitive advantages.
Prioritising IP Generation for Next Generation Semiconductor End Products
India is at the crossroads where it can make a significant move to invest in the next technological gadgets that the whole world is talking about for the next decade. It is often said that India has about 20 percent of the worldwide workforce in chip design in reality a large portion of this talent mainly carries out design works for multinational companies which make specifications this limits creation of independent intellectual property (IP) within India.
While the mature node semiconductor production that is being advanced is good for supplying the present market at the same time there has to be another equally big focus on the production of the most advanced devices on the cutting edge for sectors that are still emerging e.g., healthcare diagnostics. One of such innovations could be the use of sensor technologies, ultrasound imaging, and neural interfacing illustrated by products like Neuralink.
Examples of Emerging Device Innovation Areas
| Sector | Innovation Focus |
|---|---|
| Healthcare Diagnostics | Sensor technologies, ultrasound imaging |
| Neurotechnology | Neural interfacing (e.g., Neuralink) |
| Wearables | Integrated tech devices requiring data management |
Device innovation is supported by a need to have a system that will take care of all the data these devices produce whether it is automated diagnosis systems or the data is to be analysed and the results given by third party analytical services. Therefore, an investment in R&D for integrated tech wearables together with sophisticated software solutions is the way to go.
Though the Indian Semiconductor Mission is beyond its mandate and is responsible only for the technology development of the general industrial policy it should nevertheless be in line with such initiatives as the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing’s Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme. The DLI program aids the home-grown chip design and IP creation by giving the Indian semiconductor design community a financial and infrastructural package that will act as a springboard to not only meet the local challenges of the technological era but also position India as one of the providers of original, advanced, and frontier technology in new domains.
Conclusion
India’s Semiconductor Mission (ISM) has been a major success by and large. ISM with a fund of roughly $10 billion out of which some portion may be left unspent has been very effective in spreading the resources across the different stages of the semiconductor value chain thus leading to the creation of a resilient supply chain. The mission was in fact not aimed at making a fully self-sufficient ecosystem but rather at ensuring enough strength in the value chain to be able to handle the vulnerabilities.
After all, the progression is pretty impressive for a country which was almost at zero level in the semiconductor field just four years back. The industry is very complicated and capital intensive. Going forward, India will have to deal with issues of spreading the semiconductor ecosystem further geographically into more states and gradually moving up the value chain to activities with higher value like chip design and advanced manufacturing.
Still, the semiconductor story of India that is unfolding looks good and places the country in a very good position to grow and stay resilient in the global semiconductor landscape.
End Notes:
- https://ism.gov.in/
- https://www.meity.gov.in/ISM
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2044451
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1933930
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1933860
- http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2015-05/19/content_9784.htm
- http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2014-06/24/content_8917.htm
- https://www.wsts.org/
- https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/controls-china
- https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2022/10/bureau-industry-and-security-restricts-peoples-republic-chinas
- https://www.miit.gov.cn/gxsj/tjsj/yclgy/xxhm/index.html
- https://www.semiconductors.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/BCGxSIA2020Report.pdf
- https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/south-central-asia/india
- https://www.meity.gov.in/esdm
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2015400
- https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/industry/strategy/industrial-alliance/semiconductor-european-chips-act_en
- https://www.tata.com/newsroom/business/tata-semiconductor-assembly-and-test-to-set-up-unit-in-assam
- https://dst.gujarat.gov.in/Schemes/semiconductor-policy
- https://www.thehindu.com/business/ismc-calls-off-3-billion-chip-fab-plan-in-karnataka/article67015205.ece
- https://www.semianalysis.com/p/the-eda-oligopoly-synopsys-cadence
- https://www.qualcomm.com/invention/5g/our-inventions
- https://www.meity.gov.in/dli
- https://www.niti.gov.in/national-strategy-artificial-intelligence
- https://www.cdac.in/index.aspx?id=dli_scheme
