India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem Attracting Strong Global Participation and Investment Interest: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Day 2 of SEMICON India 2026 witnessed 25 key announcements and collaborations covering various segments of the semiconductor value chain, including semiconductor manufacturing, materials, logistics, chip design, advanced packaging, power electronics and workforce development. The event has received an encouraging response, with nearly 12,000 visitors on the first day, most of whom were industry participants, and features more than 600 exhibitors, including around 300 international exhibitors.

Addressing the Media the Union Minister of Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw said participation was even higher on the second day, with strong business-to-business engagement, several agreements being concluded during business meetings and a good response to sessions. Country roundtables also received a positive response, with more than 30 companies each from Japan and Singapore participating in their respective pavilions, alongside participation from South Korea and several European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Vaishnaw said the growing participation reflected increasing global interest in expanding semiconductor-related activities in India. He also highlighted the investment interest emerging at the event, with industry leaders indicating their willingness to scale up investment based on their execution ability.

Strengthening Semiconductor Supply Chain

On strengthening the semiconductor supply chain, the Minister highlighted the MoU between India Semiconductor Mission and Nippon Express, under which Nippon Express will provide expertise in logistics, warehousing, customs and related supply-chain requirements as India’s semiconductor ecosystem expands.

The Minister also underlined opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs and emphasised that semiconductor companies must compete globally on cost and quality, while taking into account manufacturability, product life cycle and power consumption.

Focus on Sustainable Semiconductor and Technology Infrastructure

On sustainability, the Minister highlighted the use of extensive water recycling in semiconductor fabs and closed-loop cooling systems in data centres, underlining the importance of resource-efficient technologies as these sectors expand.

The 25 announcements and collaborations on Day 2 of SEMICON India 2026 highlighted growing activity across the semiconductor value chain and emerging opportunities for investment, innovation, manufacturing, skills and global partnerships. The developments further underline India’s expanding role in the global semiconductor ecosystem.

Day 2 of SEMICON India 2026 saw the exchange of a series of strategic memoranda of understanding and partnership announcements aimed at strengthening India’s semiconductor ecosystem, spanning supply chain localization, advanced packaging, skilling, and deep-tech investment in the presence of Shri. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of E&IT, Shri. Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and E & IT, Shri S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, Shri Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary, MeitY & CEO, ISM, Shri Sushil Pal, Joint Secretary, Electronics, MeitY.

1. Tata Electronics & INOX Air Products Ltd: Collaboration to strengthen local supply chain for high-purity gases critical to semiconductor manufacturing.
2. Tata Electronics & Sumitomo Chemical Ltd: Partnership to localize production of high-purity wet chemicals and advanced materials for front-end semiconductor manufacturing.
3. Tata Electronics & Kelington Engineering Pte Ltd: Collaboration to accelerate fab readiness via gas distribution systems, high-purity piping, and process tool hook-up. Includes training local partners in specialized semiconductor manufacturing skills.
4. Tata Electronics & Enomoto Co. Ltd: Partnership to strengthen advanced semiconductor packaging capabilities through joint R&D and localization of Lead-frame manufacturing.
5. C-MET, Pune & Hindalco Industries Limited: MoU to scale up critical raw materials essential to the semiconductor ecosystem strengthening indigenous material capabilities and supply chain resilience.
6. MeitY, Ministry of Power & POWERGRID: Collaboration to support indigenization of Silicon Carbide Power Modules for Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based HVDC transmission systems, to be piloted at POWERGRID’s 1,000 MW Pusauli project, Bihar.
7. L&T Semiconductor Technologies Ltd & Virtual Forest Pvt Ltd: Co-development of power electronics solutions for air conditioning and solar-powered systems.
8. L&T Semiconductor Technologies Ltd & Newen Systems Pvt Ltd: Development of Silicon Carbide Power Modules for next-gen renewable energy systems and AI data centres.
9. L&T Semiconductor Technologies Ltd & Fimer India Pvt Ltd: Development of Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors for renewable energy systems.
10. L&T Semiconductor Technologies Ltd & Capital Power Systems Ltd: Collaboration on IoT modules for smart meters, starting with an indigenous 4G communication module.
11. Tata Electronics & L&T Semiconductor Technologies Ltd : Strategic partnership to explore manufacturing L&T’s semiconductor products at Tata’s fab and OSAT facilities beginning with consumer-grade camera modules.
12. India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA): Reported investments of 263 million USD across 56 Indian deep-tech companies.
13. SEMI & IDTA: Collaboration to develop the India Semiconductor Academy (ISA), a national industry-led skilling platform, with partners including Cadence, CG Semi, Dixon Technologies, Micron Technology, Synopsys, 3D Glass Solutions, UC San Diego, and IIT Kanpur.
14. India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) & Nippon Express Holdings, Inc.: MoU to strengthen semiconductor logistics infrastructure and build resilient supply chains.
15. IndieSemiC & C-DAC: Launch of India’s first indigenous System-on-Module, “ISC-VEGA-SOM,” integrating C-DAC’s VEGA Thejas32 processor with IndieSemiC’s LoRa RF module, developed under C-DAC’s Industry Support Centre initiative.
16. Kaynes Semicon & IndieSemiC: Strategic OSAT collaboration for qualification, assembly and testing of advanced packages (QFN, BGA) and customized SiP development.
17. Kaynes Semicon, Microchip Technology & GridCrest Technologies: Collaboration to explore an end-to-end India pathway for energy-metering SoCs.
18. Kaynes Semicon & United BC Team: Partnership to develop a phased roadmap for advanced intralogistics and lights-off semiconductor manufacturing.
19. NIELIT & Siemens EDA: MoU to strengthen semiconductor design education via access to industry-grade EDA tools and specialized training.
20. NIELIT & Tata Electronics: Collaboration to develop a skilled, industry-ready ATMP workforce.
21. NIELIT & Singapore Polytechnic International: MoU to strengthen semiconductor education, training and skill development, and India–Singapore cooperation.
22. NIELIT & SCL: Official launch of the indigenous 0.8-micron Open-Source Process Design Kit (PDK) on the NIELIT eChipHub platform, democratizing chip design access for students and innovators.
23. NIELIT & IESA: MoU to strengthen semiconductor workforce development and build an industry-ready talent pipeline.
24. NIELIT & SEMI University: MoU to advance training, certification, and faculty development for India’s semiconductor talent base.
25. Silvaco, Inc. & C-DAC’s ChipIN Centre: Collaboration to provide access to advanced TCAD tools for DLI-onboarded startups, MSMEs, and C-DAC’s research and training initiatives.

On this occasion, the Minister announced  India’s first indigenous System‑on‑Module  IndieSemiC’s ISC VegaSOM which integrates C‑DAC’s Vega‑Thejas32 processor with IndieSemiC’s globally certified LoRa‑RF module. Developed under C‑DAC’s Industry Support Centre initiative, this milestone marks a significant advancement in India’s semiconductor ecosystem. It demonstrates that Indian design companies, supported by the DLI program, are not only innovating but also successfully bringing products to market. With chips now entering final products, India is steadily evolving into a product nation.

SEMICON India 2026 which runs till September 19th at Yashobhoomi , New Delhi, features more than 600 participating companies and is expected to attract around 50,000 visitors, with representatives from 52 countries, more than 400 executives and over 150 speakers. The exhibition features six Country Pavilions representing Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore and Sweden, along with 12 State booths, a Startup Pavilion, Innovation Showcase, Student Hackathon and Workforce Development Pavilion