Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the Semicon India Conference 2025 on Tuesday, said the world trusts and believes in India and is ready to build the future of semiconductors with it, signalling that the country is poised to play a leading role in the global semiconductor ecosystem.
During the inaugural address, PM Narendra Modi said his government will soon launch the “next generation of reforms” to further boost the sector. “The day is not far when the world will say: Designed in India, Made in India, and Trusted by World,” the prime minister said, adding that even the “smallest chip made in India will drive the biggest change in the world”.
Speaking on policy initiatives, Modi announced that India is working on a Critical Minerals Mission to meet the growing demand for rare earths and other resources essential for semiconductor manufacturing.
“Oil was black gold, but chips are diamonds,” he said, underlining the strategic importance of the industry.
On the occasion, Modi also revealed that since 2021, the government has approved 10 semiconductor projects with investments worth USD 18 billion, calling it a testimony to global confidence in India’s potential.
Referring to India’s GDP growth of 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of FY 2025-26, Modi said the country has performed better than every expectation and prediction even when every economy was facing challenges “stemming from economic selfishness”.
“The GDP numbers of the first quarter of this year have come out recently, and India has once again performed better than every expectation and prediction. When every economy has concerns, facing challenges stemming from economic selfishness, even in those times, India has achieved a 7.8 per cent growth. This growth is in every sector,” Modi said.
Further, he emphasised that speed is paramount in this industry and that “the less paperwork there is, the more there will be wafer work.”
“Our journey in this sector began late, but nothing can stop us now,” he said, adding that commercial chips would roll out of India this year.
Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday presented Modi with the first made-in-India chip. Vaishnaw also presented the Vikram 32-bit processor and test chips of four approved projects to Modi.
‘Semicon India – 2025’, the three-day conference, is aimed at catalysing India’s Semiconductor ecosystem and will focus on advancing a robust, resilient, and sustainable semiconductor ecosystem in India.
The conference features sessions on the progress of the Semicon India Programme, semiconductor fab and advanced packaging projects, infrastructure readiness, smart manufacturing, innovations in R&D and artificial intelligence, investment opportunities, state-level policy implementation, and other topics.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
