New Delhi: Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched Qualcomm’s 2 nanometre (nm) semiconductor chip, calling it a milestone in advanced chip design and a reflection of India’s growing role in global engineering operations.
Delivering the keynote address at the launch, Vaishnaw said the global technology ecosystem is increasingly looking towards India because of its deep talent pool. He noted that the next phase of technological breakthroughs is likely to emerge from the country, driven by its engineers and designers. Emphasising India’s collaborative approach, the minister said the country believes in co-creation and co-development, adding that the Prime Minister’s leadership has opened a new chapter through the semiconductor mission.
Tracing the sector’s history, Vaishnaw recalled that as early as the 1960s, groups linked to Fairchild Semiconductor had explored setting up a chip unit in India, but the strategic importance of semiconductors was not recognised at the time. He said this changed decisively under the current government, which initiated India’s first semiconductor manufacturing programme with a calibrated approach.
According to the minister, India began with 28 nm technology as it addresses nearly 75 per cent of domestic requirements across sectors such as automotive, telecommunications, power management and strategic applications. He added that significant progress has been made, with 10 semiconductor units currently under construction. Of these, four have recently entered pilot production and are in the process of customer qualification and validation, with commercial production expected soon.
Vaishnaw also highlighted rapid advances in chip design education since 2022. He said 315 universities across the country are now equipped with leading Electronic Design Automation tools from global players such as Synopsys, Cadence and Siemens. Students, including those from remote institutions, are designing chips, taking them through tape-out and validating their real-world functionality, creating a strong and distributed talent pipeline.
