It’s a freewheeling chat. A lightly edited Gemini summary of the video:
We discuss India’s journey and ambitions in the semiconductor industry, the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), its objectives, and the challenges faced in building a semiconductor ecosystem.
ISM started in December 2021 with a $10 billion budget to create a robust semiconductor ecosystem in India. The Prime Minister’s personal involvement and the Minister Ashwini Minister have boosted its credibility.
Challenges and Progress: India faced initial difficulties in attracting credible partners due to a lack of trust and execution history. The entry of Micron Technology marked a significant turning point, bringing a reliable American company into India to set up a packaging plant.
We discuss the complex semiconductor value chain, including chip design (fabless companies), wafer fabs, and packaging and testing companies. A significant portion of the value added is in chip design, design software and equipment.
India benefits from geopolitical shifts, as American companies, restricted from China, are seeking new avenues for investment and collaboration.
The goal is to establish 12-15 large-scale semiconductor projects in India, allowing the government to eventually step back and let the ecosystem flourish independently. There’s an ambition to move into 7-12 nanometer range production by 2032.
India boasts a significant talent pool with 300,000 chip design engineers, representing one-fifth of the world’s total, many of whom work for multinational companies.