SEMICON India 2024: 3-day event set to be held in Greater Noida during Sep 11-13

New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): A three-day event focused on the semiconductor ecosystem is set to be held from Wednesday to Friday in Greater Noida. SEMICON India 2024 will bring together global leaders, semiconductor industry experts, academia, and government officials.

The event’s extensive exhibition is expected to feature over 250 exhibitors from across the global semiconductor supply chain. It will create opportunities for stakeholders to showcase their latest advancements in semiconductor and electronics.

Themed Shaping the Semiconductor Future, the event will showcase the country’s growing semiconductor ecosystem with support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).

Additionally, officials from state governments – including host state Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu – will share their vision for ecosystem expansion with progressive and industry-friendly policies for attracting investments in the semiconductor and display ecosystems, the event’s website showed.

“The expectation primarily is the participation of a large number of companies, and especially there are two areas which are of particular interest. One area is how to build the overall ecosystem of semiconductors in India, which includes companies that will manufacture equipment for semiconductor manufacture, companies that will provide various kinds of materials, companies that will provide gases. So what needs to be done in that area will get considerable attention,” S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, told ANI.

“Likewise, the other major area which directly interests the youth of this country is the potential job opportunities. Semiconductor manufacturing is a new area in India. We do not have very many large facilities. And so we have to develop the skills for people to actually engage in the manufacture of semiconductors. This is an opportunity where many youth will get attracted into this area, hopefully,” he said.

“We are ensuring that a large number of students actually attend the events there and they are able to see for themselves what the potential is for careers in the semiconductor space and how they can get trained and how they can build their skills to be part of the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem,” he added.

The semiconductor industry in India is still in a nascent stage, with various local and multinational companies intending to tap its vast potential.

To develop a vibrant semiconductor ecosystem, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday approved the proposal of Kaynes Semicon Pvt Ltd to set up a semiconductor unit in Sanand, Gujarat, which would be India’s fifth.

The Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India was notified on December 21, 2021 with a total outlay of Rs 76,000 crore.

In June 2023, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal for setting up a semiconductor unit in Sanand, Gujarat. In February, 2024, three more semiconductor units were approved. Tata Electronics is setting up a semiconductor fab in Dholera, Gujarat and one semiconductor unit in Morigaon, Assam. CG Power is setting up one semiconductor unit in Sanand, Gujarat

Construction of semiconductor units is progressing at a rapid pace and a robust semiconductor ecosystem is emerging near the units.

American chip maker Micron’s high-end semiconductor fabrication plant at Gujarat’s Sanand, which is India’s first, is coming up at a rapid pace. It is expected to be operational in late 2024.

In total, work on four semiconductor units is currently underway – 3 in Gujarat and 1 in Assam.

Semiconductors are crucial for modern society and are needed for manufacturing an array of devices including phones, medical devices, cars and electronic gadgets. As per media reports, approximately 70 percent of total manufacturing capacity is concentrated in South Korea, Taiwan, China, the US, and Japan.

India will soon start commercial production of semiconductors and related products and become a global power in this sector similar to the technology, nuclear, and digital spaces, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year, as he laid foundation stones for the three semiconductor plants. India has lost decades in semiconductor manufacturing and now is the time to move ahead, he had said.

As part of its Atmanirbhar and Make in India plan, the government launched production incentive (PLI) schemes in varied sectors, including electronics, to make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investments, enhance exports, integrate India into the global supply chain and reduce dependency on imports.