Telangana government pushes to move from chip design to manufacturing

Telangana is looking to play a bigger role in India’s semiconductor journey, with the state government emphasising its focus on moving from chip design talent to actual manufacturing, said Sridhar Babu Duddilla, Minister of IT of Telangana.Speaking to on the sidelines of the T-CHIP (Technology Chip Innovation Program) Semicon Constitution Summit in Hyderabad, Duddilla said, “The semiconductor industry has to be here in a big way because we have the design talent over here. The next is the process of manufacturing. When we have the design talent, we would love to see that move to the next level of manufacturing. And we hope the central government also assists the state to push chip manufacturing here.”

The Minister emphasised that Telangana has implemented several policy measures to support the sector. “We have so many policy initiatives, like giving some incentives and subsidies to the semiconductor industry. We do a lot depending upon the product and the kind of chip manufacturing. Any other state would also be doing it. But here we have the talent, that is the additional facility we can give to chip manufacturing,” he said.

At the event, Duddilla also acknowledged the contribution of Telangana Information Technology Association (TITA) led by Sundeep Makthala, who is also the founder of the T-CHIP Summit. He said that many initiatives launched by TITA have created strong outcomes in the state, starting with digital literacy programmes. “When he [Sundeep] started to literate digitally each and every citizen of Telangana, it proved great results. That program is still continuing,” he said.

Referring to TITA’s latest initiative, Pitch2Press, the Minister said it is designed to connect innovators with the wider ecosystem. “It’s a novel exercise wherein all journalist friends would be infused with new ideas. Through them, it can reach the investor, it can reach the end user, which will instil confidence, trust and encouragement for innovators to move forward,” Duddilla said.

He further pointed to the launch of a publishing journal at the summit, which aims to educate people on technology trends. “That will help people to know the nuances of the technology field and get enlightened about what is going in and out of technology,” he added.

On the larger goals of the T-CHIP initiative, the Minister said, “What he’s trying to design is to create a platform where anybody who would like to go for innovation can come and start the process for the ultimate chip manufacturing. This is a novel initiative and a very vibrant step taken by TITA. We will try to encourage them too.”

The T-CHIP Semicon Constitution Summit is designed to be more than just a conference. It aims to establish a foundational constitution for semiconductors, setting principles, fostering collaborations, and outlining mandates to accelerate ecosystem development in India and beyond.