India Sets Sights On Semiconductor Self-Reliance By 2047 Through Next-Generation Chip Innovation: MoD

India has outlined an ambitious vision to emerge as a globally competitive and technologically self-reliant semiconductor powerhouse by 2047, placing particular emphasis on next-generation chip technologies, indigenous research, advanced processor design and the creation of a robust domestic semiconductor ecosystem.

The long-term strategy reflects the growing recognition that semiconductors have become foundational to economic growth, technological sovereignty, national security, digital infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.

According to the Defence Ministry, India’s semiconductor ambitions extend beyond merely increasing production capacity. The objective is to establish leadership in selected advanced chip technologies while generating high-value employment, accelerating innovation and creating long-term industrial and societal benefits.

The announcement followed the participation of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from October 27 to 29.

The three-day conclave was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and organised jointly by 12 ministries and government departments under the guidance of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

Held under the theme, ‘Creative Minds, Catalysing Science, Empowering Society’, the event brought together scientists, researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, Nobel laureates, technology experts and emerging innovators to examine developments across advanced science and technology domains.

Among the key themes discussed, semiconductors and next-generation chip technologies emerged as strategic priorities for India's future technological advancement.

DRDO, one of the principal organisers of the conclave, conducted a dedicated thematic session titled ‘Semiconductors and Next-Generation Chips’, chaired by B K Das, Director General of Electronics and Communication Systems.

The session brought together representatives from academia, indigenous chip-design firms, industry stakeholders and the defence electronics community to assess opportunities in semiconductor research, development and commercialisation.

Discussions focused on purpose-built artificial intelligence system-on-chips, intelligence at the silicon edge and the rapidly evolving global microprocessor landscape.

Participants explored the growing need for specialised processors designed for specific computational workloads, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded across industrial systems, communications networks and defence platforms.

The ministry stated that the session highlighted DRDO’s expanding role in supporting industries and Start-Ups involved in advanced semiconductor development.

Through collaboration with research institutions, private enterprises and emerging technology companies, the organisation aims to accelerate indigenous chip design capabilities and foster innovative solutions for future requirements.

The renewed focus on semiconductors reflects worldwide recognition that advanced chips underpin virtually every modern technological system. From smartphones, computers and telecommunications networks to automobiles, medical equipment, satellites and sophisticated military platforms, semiconductor components sit at the heart of modern economies.

The strategic importance of semiconductors has increased further with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics, high-speed communications and data-intensive digital services. Global supply-chain disruptions during recent years have also highlighted the geopolitical significance of semiconductor manufacturing, prompting countries across the world to invest heavily in domestic capabilities and reduce dependencies on external suppliers.

The Defence Ministry emphasised that semiconductors are critical for strengthening economic resilience, national sovereignty and digital security. Their applications extend across advanced sensors, communications equipment, computing systems and a wide range of defence technologies.

For India, greater self-sufficiency in semiconductor technologies could reduce reliance on foreign supply chains while supporting broader manufacturing, innovation and strategic objectives. However, officials stressed that achieving semiconductor leadership requires far more than building fabrication plants alone.

The ministry underscored the necessity of developing expertise across the entire semiconductor value chain, including chip architecture, design, fabrication, testing, packaging, large-scale manufacturing and resilient supply-chain management.

Each stage demands specialised infrastructure, highly skilled talent, advanced equipment, sustained research investment and close collaboration between scientific institutions and industry.

Chip design involves developing processor architectures and integrated circuits that determine system performance, while fabrication requires highly sophisticated facilities capable of manufacturing increasingly complex semiconductor devices.

Testing and validation are equally important to ensure that chips meet stringent standards for performance, reliability and safety. Building competitive capabilities across all these areas simultaneously remains one of the sector’s most significant technological and industrial challenges.

The government also sees research organisations and Start-Ups playing a pivotal role in developing specialised semiconductor technologies rather than focusing solely on mass-market manufacturing.

DRDO’s participation in the conclave highlighted how defence research can contribute to strengthening India's broader technology ecosystem.

The organisation showcased a range of indigenous technologies developed across its laboratories.

Exhibits included advanced communication systems, quantum technology demonstrators, high-power pulse laser diodes and scramjet propulsion technologies. Other displays featured extreme cold-weather clothing, the PRABALA female full-body protector, passive and powered exoskeleton systems and portable hybrid energy management technologies.

Collectively, these exhibits reflected the breadth of research activities underway within India's defence scientific establishment, spanning electronics, aerospace, advanced materials, energy systems and communications technologies.

The ministry noted that such initiatives contribute to strengthening the country's technological foundation while supporting the development of indigenous solutions in strategically important sectors. Semiconductors hold particular significance for defence applications because modern military systems increasingly rely on sophisticated electronic components.

Advanced radar systems, surveillance platforms, navigation equipment, secure communications networks and precision-guided technologies all depend upon dependable semiconductor devices. Reliable access to advanced chips can therefore enhance operational effectiveness while reducing vulnerabilities associated with disruptions in international supply chains.

Artificial intelligence represents another area where specialised semiconductor development could provide substantial advantages. AI workloads require highly efficient processors capable of performing complex calculations and handling large volumes of data at high speed. Purpose-built AI system-on-chips are designed to execute specific workloads more efficiently, potentially delivering improved performance while reducing energy consumption.

Similarly, intelligence at the silicon edge enables data processing closer to the source device rather than relying entirely on distant computing infrastructure. Such capabilities are particularly valuable in autonomous platforms, industrial automation, communications equipment and defence systems where low latency, reliability and efficient data handling are essential.

The ministry’s emphasis on these technologies indicates that India’s ambitions extend beyond conventional semiconductor production towards leadership in emerging computing architectures and specialised processing technologies.

The 2047 goal aligns with the broader national vision of transforming India into a technologically advanced developed nation by the centenary of independence. Achieving that objective will require sustained public and private investment, extensive research partnerships, industrial participation and the development of a highly skilled semiconductor workforce.

Universities, technical institutions, research laboratories and industry stakeholders are expected to play central roles in creating expertise across semiconductor design, manufacturing, testing and advanced research. The government has identified indigenous innovation as a key pillar of this strategy, with DRDO expected to continue supporting industries and Start-Ups engaged in advanced technology development.

As demand for artificial intelligence, advanced computing, autonomous systems and next-generation digital infrastructure continues to accelerate globally, the country's success in building a resilient semiconductor ecosystem could become one of the most important determinants of its technological competitiveness in the decades ahead.

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DRDO Showcases Indigenous Chips Powering Advanced Radar, Electronic Warfare And Missile Systems

India’s push towards self-reliance in critical defence technologies was on display at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 in New Delhi, where the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) unveiled a range of indigenous semiconductor technologies developed for advanced radar systems, electronic warfare applications and tactical missile programmes.

Held at Bharat Mandapam from 27 to 29 October under the theme ‘Creative Minds, Catalysing Science, Empowering Society’, the three-day conclave was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and jointly organised by 12 ministries and departments. The event brought together Nobel Laureates, international experts, policymakers, researchers and emerging leaders to discuss scientific advances and deep-technology innovation.

A major highlight of DRDO’s participation was the display of Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) and Infrared Focal Plane Arrays (IRFPAs), developed by the Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), Delhi. These indigenous semiconductor technologies represent critical building blocks for a wide range of strategic defence systems.

According to the Ministry of Defence, Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based MMICs, along with Multi-Chip Modules (MCMs), have already been employed in several strategic missions. These technologies form the backbone of advanced radar networks and Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, enhancing detection, tracking and electronic countermeasure capabilities.

DRDO also showcased IRFPAs, which serve as the sensing elements or “eyes” of tactical missiles. Integrated with Imaging Infrared (IIR) seekers, these systems enable missiles to detect, identify and track targets during the terminal phase of flight with a high degree of precision.

The exhibition featured a broad spectrum of infrared technologies, including Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR), Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) and Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) solutions, underlining India's expanding expertise in sophisticated infrared sensing and semiconductor development.

Beyond semiconductors, DRDO presented several emerging technologies, including scramjet propulsion systems, neuromorphic accelerators, advanced communication systems, Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs), Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) and laser proximity sensors. The display highlighted the organisation’s efforts across multiple next-generation technology domains with both strategic and defence applications.

As one of the principal organisers of ESTIC 2026, DRDO led the thematic session titled ‘Semiconductors and Next-Generation Chips’. The session was chaired by Distinguished Scientist and Director General, Electronics and Communication Systems, Dr BK Das.

Discussions during the session explored advances in semiconductor technologies, purpose-built Artificial Intelligence (AI) System-on-Chips (SoCs), intelligence at the silicon edge and the rapidly evolving microprocessor landscape. The dialogue also examined opportunities to accelerate indigenous chip design and reduce dependence on foreign technologies.

DRDO further emphasised its growing role in supporting industry and Start-Ups engaged in the development of next-generation chips and critical indigenous technologies. The organisation highlighted collaboration between government laboratories, academia and private-sector innovators as essential for strengthening India’s semiconductor ecosystem.

The Ministry of Defence noted that semiconductor capability has become increasingly important for national security, economic resilience and digital sovereignty. It stressed the importance of building expertise not only in chip design, but also in fabrication, testing, industrial-scale manufacturing and resilient supply chains.

India’s specialised semiconductor establishments, including SSPL, the Gallium Arsenide Enabling Technology Centre (GAETEC), the Semiconductor Technology and Applied Research Centre (STARC) and the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), have collectively developed significant expertise in Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), Gallium Nitride (GaN), Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and mature silicon-process technologies.

The showcase reinforced the growing strategic importance of indigenous semiconductor development in strengthening India’s defence preparedness, technological self-reliance and long-term ambitions in advanced electronics and next-generation chip technologies.

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India Must Build Defence Chips End-To-End, Warn Scientists

India's increasingly network-centric weapons systems, ranging from the BrahMos cruise missile to the proposed Sudarshan Chakra air defence shield, will remain exposed to strategic vulnerabilities as long as the semiconductors powering them are imported, senior defence scientists have warned, The Hindu reported.

Speaking at the Semiconductor Summit 2026 in Chennai, they argued that India must establish complete domestic capabilities across semiconductor design, fabrication, packaging, equipment manufacturing and critical materials.

Former DRDO Director General VK Saraswat said modern warfare has evolved from platform-centric operations to network-centric warfare, where success depends on command, control, communications and intelligence systems built around advanced semiconductors. Referring to Operation Sindoor, he said India is now "more or less equipped with complete network-centric capability".

Dr. Saraswat explained that the proposed Sudarshan Chakra air defence shield will integrate information from satellite, maritime, aerial and land-based sensors through artificial intelligence-enabled software. However, he cautioned that future conflicts, particularly prolonged engagements and saturation attacks, will require far greater technological self-reliance and resilience.

Highlighting emerging threats, he noted that drone swarms now arrive "in hundreds and thousands", making advanced countermeasures essential. Alongside ballistic missile defence systems, he stressed the growing importance of directed-energy weapons in future battlefields.

A Sivathanu Pillai, Founder, CEO and Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace, said semiconductors are at the heart of precision-guided weapon systems. He explained that a BrahMos missile can alter its flight path within milliseconds after receiving a target update, enabling a "bullseye hit". "How has the intelligence come to that? It is a processor and the software. So semiconductors play a very important role there."

Dr. Pillai added that the TEJAS MK-2 is expected to process more data during a single mission than the entire MiG-21 fleet handled during the 1971 war. He also pointed out that Chandrayaan-3's successful landing relied heavily on imported semiconductor systems, remarking that "was all imported, you know; that was our problem".

According to Dr. Pillai, most Indian defence platforms currently rely on 28-nanometre chips, while the global semiconductor industry has advanced to 3-nanometre technology. He said India has partly compensated through sophisticated software solutions, such as combining signals from multiple GPS sources to improve accuracy, but warned that this approach would not be sufficient for future hypersonic systems.

Expressing concern over India's semiconductor roadmap, he stated: "The government has said that 3 nanometre we will achieve sometime around 2030 to 35. That is too late in the present situation." He warned that restrictions on semiconductor materials, devices and manufacturing equipment are tightening globally and argued that India must not only build foundries but also develop the machinery needed to support them.

Dr. Saraswat agreed that advanced semiconductor nodes at 5, 3 and 2 nanometres will be critical for artificial intelligence applications, including large language models and edge AI systems. While today's Sudarshan Chakra requirements could still be supported by 28-nanometre and potentially 14-nanometre technologies, future systems will demand far greater performance.

Discussing India's fabrication gap, Deleep Nair of IIT-Madras noted that India received CMOS technology from the Radio Corporation of America before Taiwan did. However, the Semiconductor Complex Limited facility in Chandigarh suffered a major setback after a fire in the late 1980s and remained inactive for an extended period.

As a result, the most advanced production technology currently operating there remains at 180 nanometres, a level comparable to what Intel, AMD and IBM used in the mid-1990s.

He added that DRDO's Gallium Arsenide Enabling Technology Centre is working on gallium arsenide and gallium nitride technologies, which are especially important for high-frequency defence applications.

Dr. Saraswat warned that imported chips create significant security risks. Recalling the early Prithvi missile program, he said supplies of the 8086 and 8087 processors became restricted after the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program was announced and tightened further under the Missile Technology Control Regime.

He cautioned that supply-chain compromise could directly threaten national security. "These devices, if they are compromised while they are being manufactured, then your weapon is compromised," he said.

Referring to the Stuxnet incident, he argued that vulnerabilities introduced during manufacturing can be exploited remotely. He also warned against dependence on foreign cloud infrastructure and navigation systems, saying, "If the cloud is sitting outside, the entire information going through my network-centric warfare system through the cloud, I am compromised."

The panel's central recommendation was the creation of an end-to-end semiconductor ecosystem under the India Semiconductor Mission. This would encompass raw materials, chip design, fabrication facilities, manufacturing equipment, advanced packaging, testing infrastructure and skilled manpower development.

Particular emphasis was placed on compound semiconductors such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide, which are essential for radar systems, imaging equipment, power electronics and advanced military sensors. Dr. Saraswat observed that the waiting period for extreme ultraviolet lithography machines required for advanced-node manufacturing has already stretched to four or five years.

Both Dr. Saraswat and Dr. Pillai urged the establishment of semiconductor research and development fabs within IITs and other universities, modelled on Belgium's Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre. They argued that without strong domestic research infrastructure, India will remain dependent on foreign technology for future breakthroughs, including neuromorphic computing.

Dr. Pillai highlighted India's strength in semiconductor design, stating that the country already accounts for around 20% of global chip design capability. "Why not go in a big way to develop the manpower? Instead of 20%, let us take 50% of the design we should do for the world," he said. He also encouraged universities to expand into packaging and testing activities.

Looking ahead, Dr. Nair noted that TATA's semiconductor fabrication facility in Gujarat, being established with technology licensed from Taiwan's Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, is expected to introduce 40-nanometre manufacturing capability. He added that several packaging facilities are also being developed under the semiconductor mission.

Addressing China's lead in the sector, Dr. Saraswat attributed its success to decades of sustained investment beginning in the 1980s and its strategy of bringing back Chinese-origin engineers trained in American universities and semiconductor companies. "Till 2021 we never made any major investment in semiconductors, and hence we are at this stage," he said.

On the issue of critical minerals, Dr. Pillai said India remains at an early stage of identifying and stockpiling strategic resources required for semiconductor manufacturing. "We don't even stockpile … China has done it very effectively, and there is going to be a big control coming on us; before that, we should do it," he said, adding bluntly: "We are behind many, many years."

The discussion underscored a growing consensus within India's strategic and scientific community that semiconductor sovereignty is no longer merely an economic objective.

As military systems become increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence, high-speed data processing and autonomous operations, domestic semiconductor capabilities are being viewed as a core pillar of national security, technological independence and future battlefield dominance.

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DhruvaPro Chip Advances India’s Drive for NavIC And Semiconductor Self-Reliance

India is taking another important step towards strengthening its semiconductor capabilities and reducing dependence on imported navigation technologies through the development of DhruvaPro, an indigenous navigation receiver chip created by MumbaiSemi, a deep-tech Start-Up that emerged from IIT-Bombay.

Developed after several years of research and engineering work, DhruvaPro has been designed to receive signals from India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system while also supporting major global satellite navigation networks, including GPS, Galileo and BeiDou.

NavIC, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was created to provide India with an independent satellite navigation capability. The system offers positioning, navigation and timing services across India and surrounding regions, reducing reliance on foreign-controlled navigation infrastructure.

However, building a satellite navigation constellation is only one part of the technological challenge. Devices such as smartphones, vehicle-tracking systems, logistics platforms and navigation equipment require specialised receiver chips capable of detecting and processing satellite signals.

For many years, a significant proportion of such receiver technology has been sourced from overseas manufacturers. As a result, the availability of domestic hardware capable of fully supporting NavIC has remained limited.

DhruvaPro has been developed to address this gap by providing an Indian-designed solution capable of receiving and processing signals from multiple global navigation satellite systems on a single platform. This multi-constellation capability allows devices to access navigation data from NavIC alongside GPS, Galileo and BeiDou.

The chip is the product of extensive research originating at IIT-Bombay, where work on indigenous navigation receiver technology progressed through multiple development stages before being commercialised by MumbaiSemi.

One of the notable aspects of the technology is its reconfigurable architecture, which enables support for different navigation frequency bands. This flexibility makes the chip suitable for a broad range of commercial and industrial applications requiring accurate positioning and timing information.

The development strengthens India’s domestic navigation-chip ecosystem by adding a critical hardware component to the country’s growing semiconductor landscape. Indigenous receiver technology can help create a more complete ecosystem around NavIC and encourage wider adoption of the navigation system.

The achievement also demonstrates the increasing role of Indian academic institutions and deep-tech Start-Ups in developing advanced semiconductor technologies. The collaboration between IIT Bombay researchers and MumbaiSemi highlights how research-driven innovation can be translated into commercially viable products.

Beyond navigation, such semiconductor expertise contributes to the broader objective of developing domestic design capabilities in strategically important technologies. Advanced chip development remains a key area of focus as India seeks to expand its presence in the global semiconductor value chain.

The significance of DhruvaPro extends beyond the chip itself. It represents progress towards technological self-reliance by ensuring that both the satellite infrastructure and the hardware required to access it can increasingly be developed within India.

As India continues investing in indigenous semiconductor manufacturing, electronics design and space-based infrastructure, technologies such as DhruvaPro could play an important role in strengthening national capabilities while supporting future applications across transportation, logistics, automotive systems, mobile devices and connected technologies.

In the larger context, the emergence of an Indian-developed navigation receiver chip demonstrates that achieving true technological independence requires not only satellites in orbit but also the sophisticated semiconductor hardware on the ground that enables people and industries to use those services effectively.

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Foreign Chip Reliance Threatens Defence Security; DRDO Pushes For 100% Indigenous Capability

India's ambition to achieve complete technological self-reliance in the defence sector has received renewed emphasis, with senior Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official B.K. Das warning that even a tiny dependence on foreign technology could significantly undermine national security during a conflict.

Speaking at a curtain-raiser event in Bangalore ahead of the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC)-2026, Das argued that the true measure of indigenisation is not the percentage of local content in a system, but whether every strategically critical component can be sourced and sustained within the country.

According to Das, a defence platform that is 95 per cent indigenous cannot be considered fully self-reliant if the remaining 5 per cent consists of critical technologies such as semiconductor chips, specialised software, algorithms or other essential components. In a wartime scenario, the absence, disruption or denial of access to these key technologies could compromise the effectiveness of an otherwise highly indigenous weapons system.

He stressed that India must now focus on what he described as "last-mile indigenisation", a stage where every crucial technological dependency is addressed domestically. The objective, he indicated, is not merely to reduce imports but to eliminate vulnerabilities that could emerge from foreign reliance in strategically sensitive areas.

Das highlighted that future military capabilities will increasingly be shaped by technologies embedded deep within semiconductor architectures. He remarked that the final portion of silicon integrated into advanced electronic systems could ultimately determine the outcome of future conflicts, reflecting the growing importance of microelectronics, artificial intelligence and advanced computing in modern warfare.

His comments come at a time when nations across the world are treating semiconductor capability as a matter of strategic importance rather than simply an industrial concern. Chips now underpin virtually every advanced defence application, including radars, missile guidance systems, secure communications, electronic warfare platforms, autonomous systems, surveillance networks and artificial intelligence-enabled decision-making tools.

The DRDO believes that the strategic significance of semiconductors will only increase as armed forces adopt greater levels of automation, machine learning, edge computing and data-intensive operational capabilities.

Against this backdrop, DRDO is preparing to lead a major thematic session on "Semiconductors and Next-Gen Chips" during ESTIC-2026, scheduled to take place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from 27 to 29 October.

The conclave is being organised under the guidance of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and is expected to bring together policymakers, industry executives, researchers, scientists, academic institutions and technology innovators. Discussions are expected to focus on India's long-term innovation strategy, emerging technologies and pathways towards technological sovereignty.

The semiconductor session being coordinated by DRDO will serve as a platform for discussions on indigenous chip design, semiconductor fabrication, artificial intelligence computing, advanced microprocessors and strategic applications of microelectronics.

Industry leaders, representatives from India's growing semiconductor ecosystem and defence electronics experts are expected to deliberate on ways to strengthen domestic capability across the full semiconductor value chain.

The planned discussions are also likely to examine purpose-built artificial intelligence system-on-chips, intelligence at the silicon edge and developments in next-generation microprocessor technologies. These areas are increasingly viewed as critical to maintaining military superiority in future operational environments.

Das called upon Indian researchers, engineers, Start-Ups, academic institutions and industry stakeholders to intensify efforts in indigenous semiconductor innovation. He underscored the need for collaboration across sectors to ensure India develops not only design expertise but also resilient domestic manufacturing capabilities.

He noted that substantial progress has already been achieved over the past two decades. India, once regarded as one of the world's largest importers of defence equipment, has steadily expanded its indigenous development and production capabilities across a wide range of military systems.

Several home-grown defence platforms, sensors, communication systems and strategic technologies have entered service during this period, reflecting the country's broader push towards self-reliance.

Nevertheless, Das emphasised that genuine technological sovereignty remains incomplete until every critical technology is designed, developed, produced and supported within India. He cautioned that dependence on foreign suppliers for strategically sensitive technologies could expose the country to supply-chain disruptions, geopolitical pressures, export restrictions and technology denial regimes.

His observations align with the broader national objective of building a resilient domestic semiconductor ecosystem capable of supporting not only defence applications but also telecommunications, automotive electronics, industrial automation, artificial intelligence infrastructure and advanced digital technologies.

The wider ESTIC-2026 agenda is expected to support India's vision of becoming a major science and technology power through closer cooperation among government departments, industry and academia.

In addition to the semiconductor-focused discussions, DRDO is expected to showcase indigenous technologies and strategic innovations developed by its laboratories. These demonstrations will highlight the organisation's efforts to address critical defence requirements using domestically developed solutions.

The emphasis on semiconductor self-sufficiency reflects a growing international reality that access to advanced chips has become a strategic asset comparable to energy security, critical minerals and defence manufacturing capability.

Indian policymakers increasingly view semiconductor ecosystems as essential national infrastructure. Consequently, the development of indigenous chip technologies is being treated as a long-term strategic priority that extends beyond economic growth and into the realm of national security.

For DRDO, the message is clear: even a highly indigenous defence system can remain vulnerable if a small but decisive technological element depends on overseas sources. Achieving complete self-reliance therefore requires not only broad localisation but also total control over the most critical technologies at the heart of modern military systems.

As India seeks to strengthen its position in advanced technologies and reduce strategic dependence on external suppliers, semiconductors are emerging as one of the most important battlegrounds in the pursuit of technological independence, defence preparedness and national resilience.

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DRDO To Showcase Indigenous Semiconductor Capabilities And Next-Generation Chip Technologies At ESTIC-2026

India is preparing to place a strong spotlight on its rapidly expanding semiconductor sector at the forthcoming Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC-2026), with a particular emphasis on advancing indigenous chip technologies and reinforcing the country's domestic semiconductor ecosystem.

The conclave, scheduled to take place from 27 to 29 October at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, is expected to serve as a major national platform for collaboration among government departments, industry leaders, academic institutions, researchers and technology innovators.

In the lead-up to the event, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) organised a curtain-raiser programme in Bangalore to increase awareness of the conclave and encourage greater participation from industry, academia and research organisations.

ESTIC-2026 is being organised under the guidance of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and represents a broad whole-of-government initiative designed to accelerate scientific and technological advancement across multiple strategic sectors.

The event will bring together 12 scientific ministries and departments of the Union Government.

Officials have indicated that the conclave will feature 12 dedicated thematic sessions, each concentrating on emerging and future-oriented technologies that are expected to shape India's technological landscape over the coming decades.

Among the most closely watched sessions will be the DRDO-coordinated discussion on semiconductors and next-generation chips.

This session is expected to assemble key stakeholders from the semiconductor industry, academic and research communities, indigenous chip-development enterprises and the defence electronics sector.

The objective is to encourage a deeper exchange of ideas on semiconductor innovation while strengthening cooperation among organisations involved in India's semiconductor value chain. The keynote address for the session will be delivered by Anand Ramamoorthy, Vice-President and Managing Director of Micron India.

His participation is expected to provide insights into evolving global semiconductor trends, advanced manufacturing practices and opportunities for India's growing semiconductor industry.

Additional presentations will be delivered by Bharat Semi Chief Executive Officer Vrinda Kapoor, Netrasemi Chief Executive Officer Jyothis Indirabhai and IIT Madras Director Professor Kamakoti.

Together, these speakers represent a diverse cross-section of India's emerging semiconductor and microelectronics ecosystem. The discussions are expected to explore a wide range of topics linked to advanced semiconductor development.

These include semiconductor technologies, purpose-built artificial intelligence system-on-chip platforms, intelligence at the silicon edge and recent developments in microprocessor architectures. Participants are also expected to examine broader issues connected with chip design, semiconductor fabrication, artificial intelligence computing and strategic microelectronics applications.

A high-level panel discussion will further enrich the session.

The discussion will be moderated by DRDO Scientist and Director General (Electronics and Communication Systems) B K Das.

Representatives from DRDO, Qualcomm, TATA Semiconductor, Bharat Electronics Limited, Anant Systems and BITS-Pilani are expected to participate.

The panel is likely to focus on opportunities and challenges facing India's semiconductor sector, including research and development, manufacturing capabilities, supply-chain resilience and the need for greater indigenous technology development.

The semiconductor-focused session forms part of India's broader effort to establish self-reliance in critical technologies. Policymakers, researchers and industry leaders increasingly view semiconductors as strategic assets that influence economic competitiveness, technological sovereignty and national security.

Recent global semiconductor supply disruptions have highlighted the importance of developing domestic production capabilities and reducing dependence on external sources for critical technologies.

During the curtain-raiser event in Bangalore, B K Das emphasised the strategic importance of achieving deeper technological self-reliance.

He underscored the role of semiconductors and next-generation chips in supporting advanced communications, artificial intelligence systems, industrial automation, automotive technologies and critical defence platforms.

According to officials associated with the initiative, strengthening India's end-to-end microelectronics ecosystem has become essential as advanced semiconductor technologies increasingly underpin both civilian and strategic applications.

The significance of semiconductors extends well beyond consumer electronics.

Modern telecommunications infrastructure, smart manufacturing systems, aerospace platforms, autonomous technologies and advanced computing systems all depend heavily on increasingly sophisticated chips.

As artificial intelligence workloads continue to expand globally, specialised processors and purpose-built AI chips are emerging as a major area of innovation.

Consequently, the ESTIC-2026 discussions are expected to address how India can build competitive capabilities across the semiconductor design, development and deployment spectrum.

A major attraction of the conclave will be a DRDO thematic exhibition showcasing indigenous semiconductor capabilities and next-generation chip technologies. The exhibition will highlight achievements developed within India's research and innovation ecosystem and demonstrate the country's progress towards technological self-reliance.

Visitors will be able to view technologies created by various DRDO laboratories to meet critical defence and strategic requirements. The exhibition is also expected to showcase broader innovations developed through indigenous research and development efforts.

In addition to semiconductor-related advancements, DRDO outreach activities at the conclave are expected to highlight several home-grown technologies spanning multiple domains of strategic importance.

These may include advanced communication systems, quantum technology prototypes, specialised protection equipment, exoskeleton technologies, energy-management solutions and advanced propulsion-related innovations.

Such displays are intended to demonstrate the breadth of indigenous technological development taking place across India's scientific and strategic sectors.

The semiconductor industry has emerged as a major national priority for India in recent years.

Through initiatives aimed at attracting investment, encouraging domestic manufacturing and supporting chip design, the country has taken significant steps towards establishing a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem.

Government initiatives have sought to strengthen every stage of the value chain, ranging from design and research through to manufacturing, assembly, testing and packaging. The participation of companies such as Micron India, along with emerging Indian semiconductor firms and leading academic institutions, reflects the growing momentum behind these efforts.

Industry observers view collaboration between government agencies, academia and private-sector enterprises as essential for building long-term competitiveness in semiconductor technologies.

The emphasis on artificial intelligence chips, edge intelligence and advanced microprocessors at ESTIC-2026 highlights the increasing convergence between semiconductor innovation and digital transformation.

As AI applications become more widespread, demand for specialised computing hardware is expected to grow substantially. Purpose-built AI chips capable of delivering high performance while maintaining energy efficiency are increasingly regarded as strategic technologies for the future.

India's semiconductor ambitions also form part of a larger national vision extending to 2047. According to officials, the country aims to emerge as a global semiconductor powerhouse by that year. This long-term vision is supported by a series of milestones, including short-term objectives for 2030 and medium-term goals for 2035.

These targets are intended to strengthen India's position across semiconductor design, manufacturing, packaging, research and innovation.

By bringing together policymakers, scientists, engineers, industry executives and academic leaders, ESTIC-2026 is expected to play an important role in shaping the next phase of India's semiconductor journey.

The conclave will provide a platform for discussing emerging opportunities, identifying technological priorities and fostering partnerships that can accelerate domestic capability development.

Through its semiconductor-focused sessions and indigenous technology exhibitions, the event aims to reinforce India's commitment to developing advanced chip technologies, enhancing strategic autonomy and building a globally competitive semiconductor ecosystem capable of supporting both economic growth and national security objectives.

Additional context incorporated from publicly available reporting on ESTIC-2026 and related DRDO announcements, while preserving all key facts contained in the original article.

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48 Million Chips A Day: TATA Electronics' Assam Chip Hub Nears Commercial Launch After Pilot Production Milestone

TATA Electronics has entered a crucial new phase at its semiconductor packaging facility in Jagiroad, Assam, with pilot chip production now under way as the company prepares for full commercial operations between December 2026 and January 2027.

The project, backed by an investment of ₹27,000 crore, spans 592 acres and is regarded as one of India's most significant semiconductor manufacturing initiatives. The facility is currently conducting pilot runs at partial capacity following the completion of its first clean room, marking the transition from construction to live manufacturing operations.

Located in Jagiroad, the plant has been developed as an Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility. Unlike a wafer fabrication plant that manufactures semiconductor wafers from raw silicon, the Assam unit focuses on the assembly, packaging and testing stages of semiconductor production.

Once fully ramped up, the facility is expected to produce up to 48 million semiconductor chips daily. Production will utilise advanced packaging technologies including Wire Bond, Flip Chip and Integrated System in Package (ISIP), enabling chips to be integrated into increasingly sophisticated electronic systems.

The plant is expected to serve a broad range of high-growth industries. Key target sectors include automotive, electric vehicles, telecommunications, consumer electronics, Internet of Things applications and artificial intelligence.

Automotive applications are expected to play a particularly important role in the facility's output. TATA Electronics has already announced plans to manufacture Qualcomm Automotive Modules at the site, supporting both domestic and international vehicle manufacturers. These modules are designed for applications such as digital cockpits, infotainment systems, connectivity solutions and intelligent vehicle technologies.

The Assam facility is also becoming a central element of TATA Electronics' broader semiconductor strategy. The company has been actively creating a geographically diversified supply chain aimed at reducing dependence on China for semiconductor assembly equipment, materials and components.

Following partnerships announced during SEMICON India 2026, TATA Electronics secured more than 16 collaborations with companies across Europe, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. These partnerships include industry players such as ASMPT, Nexperia, Fujifilm, Besi, Sumitomo and Sojitz, helping to strengthen access to machinery, raw materials and specialised semiconductor technologies.

The diversification strategy is intended to improve resilience against global supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions and trade-related bottlenecks while supporting greater localisation of semiconductor manufacturing inputs.

Although pilot production has begun, the facility is not expected to achieve full output immediately. Industry and government officials anticipate that scaling operations, qualifying products with global customers and establishing a mature supporting ecosystem could require an additional one to two years after commercial production begins.

Workforce development is also progressing alongside manufacturing preparations. Hundreds of women have been trained across TATA Electronics facilities, with several already deployed at Jagiroad and many more expected to join ahead of commissioning.

The project is projected to generate around 27,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities across engineering, clean-room operations, semiconductor testing, research and development, technical support and allied services.

To support the growing industrial ecosystem, infrastructure development is continuing around the facility. State authorities have already provided dedicated power and water connectivity, while accommodation and hospitality projects are being developed to serve employees, suppliers and visiting industry partners.

The Assam government is also seeking to attract ancillary industries and additional semiconductor-related investments around Jagiroad, with the longer-term objective of creating a broader semiconductor manufacturing cluster in the region.

The commencement of pilot production represents a major milestone not only for TATA Electronics but also for India's ambition to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities. The success of the Jagiroad facility will be closely watched as the country seeks to establish a stronger position in global electronics and semiconductor supply chains.

Agencies

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TDB-DST Signs Agreement With BigEndian Semiconductors For ₹130 Crore RDI Support To Develop Indigenous Ai Vision SoC

India has taken another step towards strengthening its domestic semiconductor ecosystem after the Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), signed an agreement with Bangalore-based BigEndian Semiconductors for financial support of ₹130 crore through the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund , announced PIB.

The funding support, structured as Optional Convertible Debt (OCD), will support Project VeerAI, a ₹260 crore initiative focused on advancing an indigenous AI Vision System-on-Chip (SoC) from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-5 to TRL-9 and moving the technology towards commercial deployment.

Project VeerAI is centred on the development of a camera-focused AI Vision SoC built on a sovereign technology platform. The effort is intended to address the growing demand for secure, intelligent and application-specific semiconductor solutions developed within India.

A key objective of the program is to create a secure AI chip designed primarily for surveillance applications, particularly CCTV systems, reducing dependence on foreign semiconductor technologies and external supply chains in strategically important sectors.

The proposed platform will integrate artificial intelligence processing with advanced security, privacy and connectivity features, enabling intelligent edge-based data processing while supporting greater technology sovereignty.

Initially, the technology will target CCTV and surveillance deployments across India and countries in the Global South. However, the long-term roadmap extends far beyond surveillance, with planned applications across defence, automotive, industrial and medical sectors.

The initiative seeks to capitalise on India’s expanding VLSI design expertise and semiconductor engineering talent by transforming indigenous design capabilities into a scalable and commercially viable chip platform.

Unlike general-purpose processors, the focus on application-specific SoCs is expected to deliver solutions tailored to defined operational requirements, accelerating development cycles, product deployment and commercialisation opportunities.

The project arrives at a time when intelligent devices and connected systems are becoming increasingly embedded across critical infrastructure. As a result, secure domestic semiconductor technologies are gaining strategic importance for data protection, privacy, device-level intelligence and national technology resilience.

Through the RDI-backed funding, BigEndian Semiconductors will carry out the technology development, validation, integration, testing and scale-up activities necessary to progress the platform from advanced prototype maturity to full commercial readiness.

TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said semiconductors form the foundation of nearly every emerging technology and that strengthening indigenous capabilities in application-specific AI chips is vital for India’s technology ecosystem. He noted that the RDI Fund is designed to support technologies requiring substantial investment to bridge the gap between advanced development and commercial deployment, while also enabling Indian firms to convert domestic semiconductor design expertise into deployable products.

The promoters of BigEndian Semiconductors said the support would accelerate development and validation activities for Project VeerAI, helping move the AI Vision SoC towards commercial readiness. They added that the company remains focused on building a secure semiconductor platform capable of serving surveillance and other critical sectors while leveraging India's indigenous chip-design strengths.

The project also aligns with broader national efforts to expand the country’s semiconductor value chain, strengthen domestic intellectual property creation and establish indigenous alternatives in critical technology domains.

If successfully commercialised, Project VeerAI could create an Indian-developed AI semiconductor platform serving security-sensitive and high-growth markets while reducing reliance on imported technologies.

PIB

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Manufacturing Momentum: Powering A Self-Reliant India’s Global Rise

As India marks its 80th Independence Day, the manufacturing sector has emerged as a cornerstone of economic growth, industrial resilience and self-reliance. Driven by the Make in India vision and supported by reforms such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, PM GatiShakti, the National Logistics Policy, BHAVYA and targeted initiatives for electronics and MSMEs, the country has steadily strengthened its position as a leading global manufacturing destination, announced PIB.

PM GatiShakti and the National Logistics Policy have also helped improve infrastructure integration, multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency, making Indian manufacturing increasingly competitive.

Manufacturing now contributes around 16-17% of India’s GDP and provides employment to more than 27 million people. Manufacturing Gross Value Added recorded a CAGR of 10.88% between 2022-23 and 2025-26, while manufacturing output expanded by 7.8% in June 2026.

Merchandise exports rose to ₹3.76 lakh crore ($44.24 billion) in July 2026, compared with approximately ₹3.14 lakh crore ($36.98 billion) a year earlier, underlining the sector’s growing contribution to national prosperity.

India’s defence manufacturing landscape has undergone a historic transformation over the past decade. Indigenous defence production reached a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, representing growth of 15.6% over the previous year and a significant increase from ₹46,429 crore in FY 2014-15.

Defence exports climbed from ₹686 crore in FY 2013-14 to ₹38,424 crore in FY 2025-26, with Indian-made defence products now reaching more than 80 countries worldwide and recording growth exceeding 5,500% over twelve years.

Public sector undertakings accounted for roughly 76% of defence production in FY 2025-26, while the private sector’s contribution increased to 24%, highlighting expanding private participation. Ten Positive Indigenisation Lists covering 5,521 items had been notified by May 2026, accelerating self-reliance. The Srijan Defence Equipment Empowerment Platform now supports more than 41,000 vendors and approximately 2.7 lakh products, strengthening domestic defence supply chains.

Electronics manufacturing has become one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy. Total electronics production increased from ₹11.32 lakh crore in FY 2024-25 to ₹13.11 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, reflecting annual growth of 15.8%.

Since FY 2014-15, electronics production has expanded from nearly ₹1.9 lakh crore to ₹13.11 lakh crore, while exports have risen from about ₹38,000 crore to ₹4.24 lakh crore. Mobile phone production grew from roughly ₹18,000 crore to ₹6.27 lakh crore, and exports surged from approximately ₹1,500 crore to ₹2.59 lakh crore.

India’s semiconductor ambitions have gathered considerable momentum. The Semicon India Program 1.0, approved in 2021 with an outlay of ₹76,000 crore, laid the foundation for a domestic semiconductor ecosystem.

Building on that effort, SEMICON 2.0 was approved in July 2026 with a budget of ₹1.28 lakh crore. Twelve manufacturing projects worth more than ₹1.64 lakh crore have been approved, including silicon fabrication, silicon carbide fabrication, gallium nitride Micro LED display manufacturing and advanced packaging facilities.

Three approved companies, Micron, Kaynes and CG Semi, have already commenced commercial production, while another facility is expected to begin operations during 2026. Together, these projects are intended to serve sectors ranging from consumer electronics and telecommunications to automobiles, aerospace and industrial manufacturing.

India’s mobile manufacturing success story continues to accelerate. Nearly 99.2% of mobile phones sold domestically are now manufactured within the country, which has become the world’s second-largest mobile phone producer by volume. India has transitioned from a net importer to a net exporter of mobile phones since 2014, with smartphones becoming the country’s largest individual export commodity in FY 2025-26, surpassing petroleum products and gems and jewellery.

The PLI scheme for Large Scale Electronic Manufacturing has attracted investments of around ₹96,000 crore, while domestic value addition reached 23% in FY 2023-24. A new Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme approved in July 2026 carries an allocation of ₹62,500 crore for FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31, offering incentives of 2.25% to 5% and additional support for local sourcing, Indian brands, design capabilities and research and development.

India’s pharmaceutical industry remains one of the world’s most important healthcare suppliers. Ranked third globally by volume and eleventh by value, the country supplies around 20% of global generic medicines and a substantial share of vaccines. The sector recorded a turnover of ₹4.72 lakh crore during 2024-25.

Three pharmaceutical PLI schemes with a combined allocation of ₹25,360 crore have attracted investments exceeding ₹51,997 crore and generated cumulative sales of ₹3.88 lakh crore, including exports worth more than ₹2.43 lakh crore.

Manufacturing capability has been established for 218 APIs, key starting materials and drug intermediates, alongside 57 medical devices, including MRI systems, CT scanners, ultrasound equipment and critical implants.

Medical device exports rose from ₹26,915 crore in 2019-20 to ₹42,360 crore in 2024-25, while domestic manufacturing expanded from ₹28,000 crore to ₹41,500 crore. Three Bulk Drug Parks have been approved in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, while the Biopharma SHAKTI scheme announced in the Union Budget 2026-27 earmarks ₹10,000 crore over five years to strengthen innovation and healthcare manufacturing.

Textiles and apparel continue to play a vital role in industrial development and employment generation. The sector supports more than 45 million livelihoods, making it the second-largest employer after agriculture. Strong raw material availability, integrated value chains and leadership in cotton production and cotton yarn exports provide India with significant competitive advantages.

The textiles sector contributes around 2% of GDP, 11% of manufacturing GVA and 9% of merchandise exports. Textile and apparel exports reached $37.7 billion, equivalent to approximately ₹3.20 lakh crore, in FY 2025, accounting for 4.1% of global textile and apparel exports and making India the world’s sixth-largest exporter. Government initiatives including PM MITRA Parks, the National Technical Textiles Mission, the Textiles Export Promotion Mission, the National Fibre Mission and the Mission for Cotton Productivity are expected to further enhance competitiveness.

The maritime manufacturing sector is also receiving substantial policy support. A comprehensive package worth ₹69,725 crore announced in 2025 aims to strengthen shipbuilding capacity, maritime finance and workforce development. Under the Shipbuilding Development Scheme, ₹19,989 crore has been allocated to raise annual shipbuilding capacity to 4.5 million Gross Tonnage.

Greenfield shipbuilding clusters are planned in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, while existing shipyards are eligible for capital assistance to modernise infrastructure and expand operations. A Maritime Development Fund with a ₹25,000 crore corpus includes a ₹20,000 crore Maritime Investment Fund and a ₹5,000 crore Interest Incentivisation Fund to support long-term sector financing.

An additional ₹24,736 crore has been earmarked under the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme. The Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme, announced in the Union Budget 2026-27 with funding of ₹10,000 crore over five years, seeks to expand annual container manufacturing capacity to 7.5 lakh TEUs, around ten times current levels. In July 2026, India unveiled its first domestically manufactured EXIM shipping container for A.P. Moller-Maersk at Dadri, Uttar Pradesh.

India’s automobile industry remains among the strongest globally. The country is the world’s largest market for two-wheelers and three-wheelers and the third-largest market for passenger and commercial vehicles. The sector supports more than 30 million jobs directly and indirectly.

Vehicle production increased from 22.65 million units in FY 2020-21 to 31.03 million units in FY 2024-25, while overall production expanded by nearly 33% between FY 2014-15 and FY 2024-25. The Automobile and Auto Components PLI scheme, with an allocation of ₹25,938 crore, attracted investments of ₹44,326 crore by March 2026 and generated 67,820 jobs.

Electric mobility has received a major boost through the PM E-DRIVE scheme, launched with an outlay of ₹10,900 crore. The initiative targets incentives for approximately 28.30 lakh electric vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, buses, ambulances and trucks. Funding has also been allocated for 14,028 electric buses, of which 14,000 have already been deployed, alongside ₹2,000 crore for public charging infrastructure.

India’s solar photovoltaic manufacturing sector has expanded rapidly and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17-20% through FY 2030. The domestic market is valued at around ₹32,400 crore, supported by rising demand and large-scale capacity creation.

Solar module manufacturing capacity listed under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers reached 100 GW in August 2025, compared with approximately 2.3 GW in 2014. Solar cell manufacturing capacity increased from less than 1.2 GW to 25 GW by March 2025. The government’s high-efficiency solar PV module PLI scheme, backed by ₹24,000 crore across two phases, has awarded 48 GW of integrated PV manufacturing capacity. Solar PV exports in FY 2024-25 were eight times higher than in FY 2017-18.

Taken together, these developments illustrate the steady expansion of India’s manufacturing capabilities across defence, electronics, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, textiles, maritime industries, automobiles and renewable energy. Backed by sustained policy support, infrastructure improvements, investment inflows and growing private-sector participation, the country is increasingly positioning itself as a globally competitive manufacturing powerhouse while advancing the goal of a stronger and more self-reliant economy.

PIB

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India-Europe AI Alliance Signals Decades-Long Technology Integration

India and Europe are rapidly moving beyond a conventional free trade relationship and towards what increasingly resembles a deeply integrated artificial intelligence and advanced technology partnership.

At the centre of this shift is the growing alignment of semiconductor manufacturing, AI research, digital infrastructure and regulatory frameworks, creating interconnected ecosystems that could shape innovation on both continents for decades.

A major development came in May 2026 when TATA Electronics signed a strategic partnership agreement with Dutch semiconductor equipment leader ASML to support India's first commercial 300 mm semiconductor fabrication facility in Dholera, Gujarat.

The fab, valued at approximately ₹91,000 crore, is designed for a production capacity of up to 50,000 wafers per month and will manufacture chips across process nodes ranging from 28 nm to 110 nm for automotive, mobile, communications and AI applications.

The collaboration goes beyond equipment supply. ASML will provide advanced lithography systems, support workforce development, strengthen supply chains and contribute to research capabilities required for the long-term success of India's semiconductor ecosystem. The project represents one of the most significant steps in India's ambition to establish a domestic chip manufacturing base.

At the same time, India and France have expanded cooperation in AI-enabled healthcare through the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health at AIIMS Delhi. Developed in partnership with Sorbonne University and the Paris Brain Institute, the centre is focused on AI-driven diagnostics, multimodal brain biomarkers and low-field MRI technologies capable of delivering affordable and scalable medical imaging solutions across India.

European investment in India's AI infrastructure is also accelerating. Spanish technology company Submer has committed roughly ₹19,000 crore towards a major AI-ready data-centre campus near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.

The project is expected to deliver up to 1 GW of liquid-cooled computing capacity while supporting thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities. The investment ranks among the largest European commitments to AI and digital infrastructure in India and reflects the growing demand for high-performance computing resources required by advanced AI workloads.

Germany has emerged as another key partner. During the AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi in February 2026, India and Germany launched an AI Pact focused on industrial AI deployment across manufacturing, mobility, energy, healthcare and other strategic sectors.

The agreement also promotes collaboration on trustworthy AI, talent mobility, research infrastructure, sector-specific AI models and discussions concerning the implementation of the EU AI Act alongside India's AI Mission.

The broader framework underpinning these initiatives is the India-EU Free Trade Agreement concluded in January 2026. The agreement strengthens technology cooperation by creating formal channels between European and Indian AI institutions, encouraging collaboration on AI governance, safety standards and innovation.

It also supports discussions on India's association with Horizon Europe, the European Union's €93.5 billion research and innovation programme, potentially providing Indian institutions and companies with greater access to collaborative research opportunities across Europe.

Alongside this effort, the establishment of a European Legal Gateway Office is intended to facilitate the movement of Indian ICT professionals, researchers and technology talent into European laboratories, universities and industrial research centres.

Taken together, these developments indicate a relationship that extends far beyond traditional outsourcing models. The emerging partnership is increasingly characterised by joint semiconductor production, shared AI research, common innovation frameworks, advanced computing infrastructure, healthcare collaboration and regulatory coordination.

Rather than operating as separate technology ecosystems, India and Europe are gradually building interconnected capabilities across chips, compute, talent, research and AI governance, creating a long-term strategic technology alignment whose effects could be felt for decades.

Agencies

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DRDO Seeks Industry Support For Omnilight Photonic Transceiver Chip To Power Next-Generation Radar Networks

DRDO has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the development of an indigenous Omnilight Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC), a microwave photonics transceiver chip intended for advanced radar applications.

The program aims to replace conventional radio frequency copper interconnects with Radio Frequency-over-Fibre (RFoF) technology, enabling radar systems to transmit signals using optical fibre rather than traditional electrical cabling.

The proposed solution converts radar frequency signals into optical signals for transmission across fibre networks. This approach significantly reduces cable weight while improving system resilience against electronic attack and electromagnetic disturbances.

At the heart of the initiative is an eight-channel Photonic Transceiver (PTR) chip integrating high-speed electro-optic and opto-electronic converters, optical multiplexing and de-multiplexing functions, alongside digital communication links on a single platform.

The system is being designed to operate across an ultra-wide frequency range from 0.5 GHz to 40 GHz. Such coverage enables native support for X, Ku, K and Ka band radar applications, making the technology suitable for a broad spectrum of military sensing and surveillance missions.

According to the project requirements, the transceiver will allow radar antenna arrays positioned at remote locations to communicate with central processing stations through kilometre-scale fibre connections without significant signal degradation.

The photonic architecture also offers substantial electronic warfare advantages. Optical transmission is inherently immune to electromagnetic interference, while channel isolation greater than 40 dB helps minimise cross-channel interference and improves operational reliability in contested environments.

Beyond enhancing radar performance, the initiative seeks to establish a domestic ecosystem for microwave photonics chip design, packaging and manufacturing. The technology is expected to support future radar systems requiring reduced Size, Weight, Power and Cost while delivering higher bandwidth and greater signal fidelity.

The indigenous chip is expected to integrate optical modulators, photodiodes and wavelength multiplexing components within a compact package, supporting the long-term development of advanced photonic radar and sensor systems for India's defence sector.

Agencies

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IIT-Delhi Unveils India’s First Indigenous Micro-GPU, Eyes Advanced Multi-Core Graphics Future

Researchers at IIT-Delhi have developed India’s first working and demonstrable indigenously designed micro Graphics Processing Unit (micro-GPU), marking a significant step towards reducing the country’s dependence on imported graphics processors.

GPUs are critical components in modern computing systems and are widely used in artificial intelligence, machine learning, graphics rendering and embedded electronics.

The breakthrough has been achieved by researchers from the Electrical Engineering Department, with the project led by MTech students Nammi Akash and M Ravi Teja under the guidance of Professors Jayadeva and Kaushik Saha.

The team demonstrated programmable graphics rendering using a custom floating-point GPU engine implemented entirely in Register Transfer Language (RTL) and deployed on a Spartan-7 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

The indigenous micro-GPU architecture is designed to support graphics and display-processing systems for embedded applications.

According to the researchers, the scalable programmable graphics processor can be used in industrial control displays, low-cost human-machine interfaces, e-rickshaw dashboard navigators, inland-water navigation terminals for fishing boats, educational e-book readers and other affordable visualisation platforms.

The architecture can be implemented as a silicon ASIC or deployed on programmable hardware such as FPGAs, providing flexibility for different applications.

Nammi Akash stated that the objective was to create a compact yet genuinely programmable graphics-processing architecture suitable for FPGA implementation and future ASIC realisation.

The researchers believe such indigenous hardware could support affordable digital-access platforms and contribute towards bridging the digital divide.

The team is now exploring the development of an 8-core to 16-core vector-style graphics processor architecture supported by an optimised compiler and graphics software toolchain.

Researchers are also planning an eventual proof-of-concept implementation using a 65nm ASIC process node.

They believe mature semiconductor nodes such as 65nm can enable economically viable and practically useful indigenous graphics silicon for embedded systems.

Professor Kaushik Saha noted that the project provides students with an opportunity to integrate arithmetic hardware, programmable architectures, compilers and embedded systems design within a unified framework.

Beyond its technological significance, the project represents an important milestone in India’s efforts to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities and develop indigenous computing technologies, particularly in specialised embedded and low-cost graphics applications.

PTI

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L&T Semiconductor And TATA Electronics Join Forces To Boost Indigenous Chip Manufacturing For Global Markets

L&T Semiconductor Technologies Limited and TATA Electronics have announced a strategic partnership to expand indigenous manufacturing of chip products in India for global customers, as per an L&T press release.

The collaboration is designed to industrialise India-designed chips, enhancing time-to-market, reliability and supply chain resilience.

The alliance combines L&T Semiconductor’s fabless design innovation with TATA Electronics’ semiconductor packaging and foundry capabilities.

This partnership will jointly explore chip fabrication and packaging opportunities for L&T Semiconductor’s current and future products across TATA Electronics’ range of fab process technologies and packaging solutions.

The collaboration will also include chip design to fabrication optimisations, with a strong focus on ensuring efficient manufacturing at scale. This is expected to support next-generation products across automotive, industrial, communications, security and intelligent-edge sectors.

Dr Sandeep Kumar, Chief Executive of L&T Semiconductor Technologies Limited, emphasised that semiconductor leadership will increasingly be defined not only by design breakthroughs but also by the ability to industrialise those designs through advanced packaging and manufacturing.

He described the engagement with TATA Electronics as a decisive step in building capabilities that ensure the next generation of semiconductor products can be designed in India and delivered to global markets with speed, reliability and scale.

Dr Randhir Thakur, CEO & MD of TATA Electronics, stated that TATA Electronics is establishing world-class semiconductor manufacturing capabilities in India to provide trusted, high-quality solutions across the semiconductor value chain.

He noted that the partnership with L&T Semiconductor is a significant step that will accelerate India’s vision of becoming a full-stack semiconductor nation by combining L&T Semiconductor’s deep fabless design and engineering expertise with TATA Electronics’ manufacturing, packaging and testing capabilities.

The partnership aligns with the Government of India’s vision to ‘Manufacture in India – for India and for the World’. It reflects a long-term commitment to SEMICON 2.0’s focus on domestic ecosystem development and value addition, positioning India as a leader in the global semiconductor industry.

Together, L&T Semiconductor and TATA Electronics aim to advance packaging technologies, manufacturing excellence and quality systems that reinforce India’s semiconductor mission.

This collaboration is expected to strengthen India’s role in the global semiconductor supply chain, reduce dependence on imports, and contribute to the country’s ambition of becoming a hub for advanced technology manufacturing.

L&T Press Release

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