Gandhi Nagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated SemiconIndia 2023 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat today. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sanjay Mehrotra, President and CEO of Micron Technology thanked the Prime Minister for the global vision to turn India into a global semiconductor hub.
Shri 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.
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.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister emphasized that events like Semicon are like software update where experts and industry leaders meet and share with each other. “It is important for the synchronization of our relationship,” the Prime Minister said. Shri Modi who witnessed the exhibition set on the venue, expressed delight in the innovations and energy of the sector. The Prime Minister urged everyone, especially the younger generations to visit the ongoing exhibition and understand the power of the new technology.
Recalling the participation in the first edition of Semicon last year, the Prime Minister highlighted the questions raised at the time about investing in India in the semiconductor industry. He underlined that the questions have transformed over a period of one year from ‘Why invest in India’ to ‘Why not invest in India’. “There has been a directional change due to the efforts of the industry leaders”, Shri Modi said as he felicitated them for showing their belief in India. He said that the industry leaders have conjoined the aspirations and the capability of India with their own future and dreams. “India does not disappoint”, he exclaimed. Shri Modi underlined the abundance of opportunities in India of the 21st century and said that the country’s democracy, demography and dividend will double and triple the businesses in India.
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 export of electronics and mobile devices has doubled in the last 2 years. Throwing light on the technological developments in India post 2014, the Prime Minister informed that there were only two mobile manufacturing units in India before 2014 whereas today, this number has gone beyond 200. He also informed that the number of broadband users in the country increased from 6 crores to 80 crores while the number of internet connections rose from 25 crores to more than 85 crores today. Referring to these statistics, the Prime Minister emphasized that it not only signifies India’s progress but is also an indicator for growing businesses in the country. Shri Modi highlighted the crucial role of India in the semicon industry’s target of exponential growth.