ARM has announced that it will design the world’s most advanced 2nm chips at its newly inaugurated office in Bengaluru, marking a major milestone for India’s semiconductor ecosystem.

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who inaugurated the facility, said the chips would power AI servers, next-generation smartphones, and drones, positioning India on the global map for cutting-edge chip design.

This makes ARM only the second company after Renesas to undertake 2nm design work in India, underscoring the country’s growing importance in the semiconductor supply chain.

The minister highlighted that India is working with ASML, IBM Albany, and IMEC to strengthen advanced semiconductor capabilities, even as its India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) presently prioritises mass-market nodes like 28nm and above, which serve automotive, telecom, consumer electronics, and industrial sectors—nearly 60% of global demand.

Through ISM, India has already announced 10 semiconductor units, comprising two fabrication plants and eight ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking & Packaging) facilities. The CG Semi unit in Sanand, Gujarat, is expected to produce the first Made-in-India chip, while two other ATMP units in the state are preparing for pilot production.

Vaishnaw further stressed talent development as a cornerstone of India’s semiconductor journey. Under ISM, support is being extended to 278 institutions, equipped with industry-grade design tools, enabling students to create chips; already 28 chip designs have emerged from these initiatives.

Moving ahead, ISM 2.0 will expand focus beyond design and manufacturing into the upstream domain of equipment and materials, ensuring India develops the entire semiconductor stack—from design to fabrication tools—alongside a comprehensive talent pipeline.

By hosting ARM’s 2nm design efforts in Bangalore, India indicates its intent to not only meet current demand but also leapfrog to frontier technologies critical for AI-era computing.

Agencies