India’s First Indigenous Semiconductor Chip Set For Launch By 2025 As Govt Prioritizes Tech Development

Bengaluru, Feb 17 (KNN) Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that India's first indigenously manufactured semiconductor chip will be launched by September or October 2025. 

The announcement was made during a press conference in Bengaluru, where the minister elaborated on the government's strategic initiatives in semiconductor technology development.

The semiconductor chip will be produced through a collaborative effort between Tata Electronics and Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) at India's first semiconductor fabrication facility located in Dholera, Gujarat. 

This development represents a significant milestone in the implementation of the Semicon India program, which received approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2021 with a substantial financial commitment of Rs 76,000 crore. 

The comprehensive program aims to establish a robust ecosystem for semiconductor and display manufacturing within the country.

In addition to the chip manufacturing initiative, Minister Vaishnaw revealed that the government has allocated Rs 334 crore to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru for research and development in gallium nitride (GaN) technology. 

GaN is a critical component in semiconductors that are primarily utilised in telecommunications and power applications, making this investment strategically important for India's technological advancement.

The minister further announced the imminent launch of the India AI Mission portal, which is expected to become operational within the next 7-8 days. 

This portal will serve as a comprehensive platform enabling stakeholders to request computing capacity resources for artificial intelligence development and applications.

The India AI Mission is designed with the objective of democratising access to high-performance computing infrastructure by providing approximately 14,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) to support the advancement of artificial intelligence technologies in India. 

These computational resources will be procured from ten selected companies, including prominent technology providers such as Yotta Data Services, E2E Networks, Tata Communications, and Amazon Web Services' managed service partners.

Through this portal, central government ministries, state governments, and various other stakeholders will gain the ability to request computing capacity at subsidised rates. 

This initiative is expected to significantly reduce financial barriers to entry for organisations and institutions engaged in artificial intelligence research and development activities across the country.

(KNN Bureau)