Bengaluru to host first semiconductor conference

India’s IT hub Bengaluru will host the first semiconductor conference to make India a leader in semiconductor design, manufacturing, and innovation. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of state for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), told the media that India's story as a semiconductor destination has many elements. Chandrasekhar said that India would consume above $80 billion of semiconductors in FY25-26, economy digitisation is at an inflection point, there will be incentives from states for semiconductor investment, and a government task force will look at developing talent. He said an increasing diaspora desires to come and participate in the semiconductor mission of India, and many memorandum of understanding (MoUs) would be announced in the three days of the conference. Semiconductors need more than ambitions; the sector requires a policy framework that fosters innovation, he said, adding investors need not be concerned about execution risks and tariffs as the government will handhold them. And for achieving the vision of making India a leader in the chip space, Chandrasekhar said talent would be a significant piece in the entire puzzle. Chandrasekhar said India would grow from $70 billion to over $300-350 billion in electronics manufacturing in the next four years. The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) chairperson, Rajeev Khushu, said India requires focus on design aspects for semiconductors. Most procured semiconductors come as kits from Taiwan, China, or Korea. India needs to incentivise designs that come out of India because that will get stickiness of manufacturing in the country, Khushu said. The founder of IndoUS Venture Partners, Vinod Dham, said India was very determined to achieve the semiconductor mission. Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) president, and CEO Ajit Manocha, told the media that India is going through a tipping point and has increased from 0 to $550 billion in revenues in the ICE industry. Image Source Also read: India to consume $80 bn semiconductors to produce $300 bn electronic