Semicon India 2023: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated SemiconIndia 2023 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The theme of the Conference is ‘Catalysing India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem’. It showcases India’s semiconductor strategy and policy which envisions making India a global hub for semiconductor design, manufacturing and technology development.
Industry leaders expressed their views on the occasion. President and CEO SEMI Shri Ajit Minocha said that for the first time in India’s history, geopolitics, domestic politics and private secret capacities are aligned in India’s favor to become a player in semiconductor production. He said investment by Micron is making history in India and will set the stage for others to follow. He said having leadership that understands the semiconductor ecosystem is what makes the present system different. He said India would be the next powerhouse in semiconductor in Asia.
Mr Mark Papermaster, EVP and CTO AMD, recalled CEO AMD meeting with the Prime Minister at the White House recently. He announced that AMD will invest approximately 400 million dollars in the next 5 years. He said AMD will enhance its R&D capabilities. “We will build our largest design center in Bengaluru”, he said.
Dr Prabu Raja, President Semiconductor Product Group Applied Materials said that with the strong vision of Prime Minister Modi India is poised to play a central role in the global semiconductor industry. “We firmly believe that this is India’s time to shine”, he said. No company or country can overcome challenges in the sector alone. It’s time for collaborative partnership in this sector. This new collaborative model can provide us to be a catalyst in the sector, he emphasized. “I would like to thank you for considering us a valuable partner in India’s semiconductor vision”, he added.
Shri Anirudh Devgan, President and CEO Cadence said it is really good to see India finally investing into semiconductors. He expressed happiness that the government is investing in the entire ecosystem.
Shri Anil Aggrawal, Chairman, Vedanta Group said that experts feel that Gujarat is the right place for the silicon valley of India. He highlighted the Prime Minister’s vision of creating new opportunities for the youth of India. “We have seen how India has transformed in the last decade and aspirations of young Indians are really high.
Shri Sanjay Mehrotra, President and CEO of Micron Technology thanked the Prime Minister for the global vision to turn India into a global semiconductor hub. Mr Mehrotra expressed pride in the setting up of a semiconductor assembly and test facility for memory in the state of Gujarat and said that this project is going to create nearly 5,000 jobs along with 15,000 additional jobs within the community in the coming years.
He thanked both the Central and State Governments for their support in setting up the semiconductor industry in the state. He also thanked the Prime Minister for his support in fostering an environment of innovation, business growth and social progress that is creating solid results. “Digital India and Make in India are creating a truly transformative energy that will continue to drive positive progress”, he further said.
Mr Young Liu, Chairman of Foxconn highlighted the buffalo spirit of the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry, which is the ability to work hard without complaining and said that the same spirit can be applied in India. Referring to the high ‘say-do’ ratio of the Indian Government, Mr Liu underlined the importance of trust and working together to overcome the challenges just like Taiwan did many years ago.
Mr Liu expressed confidence and optimism in the will and determination of the Indian Government to lead the semiconductor industry. “IT stands for India and Taiwan”, Mr Liu said quoting the Prime Minister and assured that Taiwan will be India’s most trusted and reliable partner in the semiconductor industry.
Referring to Moore’s Law with exponential growth at its heart. He said that we are witnessing the same exponential growth in India’s digital and electronic manufacturing sector. He informed that India’s share in global electronic manufacturing has increased manifold. In 2014 India’s electronic manufacturing was less than 30 billion dollars, which has crossed 100 billion dollars today.
“The world is witnessing the Industry 4.0 revolution today”, Shri Modi remarked as he noted that the basis for any industrial revolution in the world is the aspirations of the people in that particular sector. “Industrial Revolutions in the past and the American Dream had the same relationship”, the Prime Minister said as he drew an analogy between the Industry 4.0 revolution and Indian aspirations. He said that Indian aspirations are the driving force behind the development of India.
Referring to the side effects of the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, the Prime Minister said that the world needs a reliable supply chain. “Who can be a more trusted partner than the world’s largest democracy”, he said. He expressed happiness about the growing global trust in India. “Investors trust India as it has a stable, responsible and reform-oriented government. The industry has faith in India as infrastructure is developing in every sector.
The tech sector believes in India as technology is growing here. The Semiconductor Industry trusts India as we have a massive talent pool”, he said. “Skilled engineers and designers are our strength. Anyone who wants to be a part of the world\’s most vibrant and unified market has faith in India. When we tell you to make in India, it also includes that let’s make for India, Make for the world”, he added.
The Prime Minister said that India understands the needs of the global supply chain, raw materials, trained manpower and machinery. “The sector in which we have worked closely with private players has touched new heights. Be it the space sector or geospatial sector, we have got excellent results everywhere”, the Prime Minister emphasized. He also informed about the critical decisions taken on the basis of feedback received. He talked about the increased incentive under the Semicon India Programme. He elaborated that now technology firms will be given 50 percent financial assistance to set up semiconductor manufacturing facilities in India. “We are continuously carrying out policy reforms to accelerate the growth of the country’s semiconductor sector”, Shri Modi said.
Reflecting on India’s G20 theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future, the Prime Minister emphasized that the same spirit is applied behind making India a semiconductor manufacturing hub. He emphasized that India wants the whole world to benefit from its skill, capacity and capability. He stressed boosting India\’s potential for Global Good and a better world. The Prime Minister welcomed the participation, suggestions and thoughts in this venture and assured the industry leaders that the Government of India stands with them at every step. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister recalled his address from the Red Fort and said, “This is the time. This is the right time. Not just for India but the whole world.”
Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnav, Union Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology, Shree Rajeev Chandrasekhar, CEO of Cadence, Shri Anirudh Devgan, Chairman of Foxconn, Mr Young Liu, Chairman of Vedanta, Shri Anil Aggarwal, CEO of Micron, Shri Sanjay Mehrotra, CTO of AMD, Mr Mark Papaermaster and President of Semiconductor Products Group AMAT, Shri Prabhu Raja were present on the occasion.
