New Records for Technological Development in India

New Records for Technological Development in India

Mains Exam: General Studies Paper 3

(Science and Technology: Technological Developments)

Foreword:

  • Prime Minister's visit to America in July, 2022 was historic. During this, an important agreement was reached between the Prime Minister and the US President. The two countries agreed to partner in developing key technologies that will shape the future - artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, high-performance computing and space.

Technological Development in India

  • America, the world leader in technology, is partnering with India for the next decade of technology and semiconductors. This shows how far India's technology capabilities have grown, especially in the semiconductor sector, where we have had little or no presence for decades. Missed opportunities, lack of political and strategic foresight and inefficiency have been a dismal story for India in the electronics and semiconductor sector for decades. For example, in the 1960s, India ignored an offer from Fairchild Semiconductors (whose founders created Intel) to set up a semiconductor packaging unit, which later moved to Malaysia.
  • In 2007, Craig Barrett, the then chairman of Intel, revealed how India missed out on an electronics market, or 'fab' investment opportunity, due to the government's slow response. In the history of sixty-five years of the country's independence, many such examples are found when India missed opportunities in semiconductor and electronics.

Policy efforts of Government of India for technological development:

  • To make India's technological development multifaceted, 'India First' was envisaged by the Government of India.
  • India has rebuilt the electronics ecosystem, making it one of the fastest growing ecosystems in the world.
  • India has set a target of creating a trillion dollar digital economy in the next few years, which will account for twenty percent of the digital economy in the country's GDP.
  • Countries like the US are now increasingly viewing India as a trusted partner on diverse global challenges ranging from sustainability and security to vaccines, electronics and semiconductors.
  • In December 2021, the Prime Minister approved the $10 billion India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), a comprehensive decadal roadmap to boost India's 'semiconductor ecosystem', from design and research to talent, ATMP And till 'fabs' the whole scenario is covered.
  • The initiative is instrumental in expanding the digital and innovation economy in the country and has led to India's substantial share of the global semiconductor market. This has encouraged the gr owth of semiconductor design startups and strengthened India's global partnerships with the world's largest companies.
  • Indian Semicon prowess and chip design innovation is on display at 'Semicon India 2023' to be held from July 28-30 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The event is being held just fifteen months after its first edition in Bangalore. Semicon India's 'Future Skills' in partnership with industry and government has developed a comprehensive 'VLSI' curriculum for 85,000 engineers, which is being implemented in 300 institutions this academic year.
  • India already boasts of having 20% of global semiconductor design talent and now leading semiconductor manufacturing companies like Applied Materials and Lam Research are making India their hub for skill and talent development.
  • More than thirty semiconductor design startups have been established in the country under 'Semiconductor India Future Design'. Of these, five startups have already received funding and twenty-five more are under evaluation. At the same time, there is a target to increase the number of supported startups to two hundred.
  • Recognizing that the world is moving towards new ISA i.e. 'Instruction Set Architecture' for chips and PM's own commitment to open source our 'Innovation Ecosystem' including 'India Stack'
  • Government has launched Digital India RISC-5 (DIR-5) program which aims to develop next generation 'processors'. Indian startups and enterprises will not only become a talent hub for RISC-5 technology, but also a global supplier of RISC-5 SoCs for diverse applications.
  • Micron, the world leader in 'semiconductor memory' has announced its first investment in Gujarat. Its Rs 2.75 billion investment is a major milestone and will help develop supply chain, packaging and 'fabs'. Also, it is expected to create around 5,000 new direct and 15,000 community jobs.
  • This investment in such a short span of time certainly gives confidence that India is a potential destination for semicon investments by the world's largest companies. Several proposals for Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) and 'Fabs' are being evaluated by the 'India Semiconductor Mission' (ISM), including 40 'nm CMOS Fabs' and 'Multiple Compound Semiconductor ATMPs & FABs'. Offers included.
  • Semiconductor research is a priority for the government. The existing FAB at Semiconductor Laboratory Mohali is being modernised. An amount of more than ten thousand crore rupees has been earmarked for its modernization and establishment of 'Global India Semiconductor Research Center' (ISRC). The proposed ISRC scheme has been finalized with world's top companies in the semiconductor sector.
  • It will be implemented in the coming months. It aims to create Asia's premier semiconductor research ecosystem, spanning materials to transistors, packaging to processes, and partner with top semiconductor companies in India and the world.

Conclusions:

  • The progress made in the last fifteen months towards making India a semiconductor nation is noteworthy.
  • This is the most exciting time in the history of independent India, when there are tremendous opportunities for the youth and students of the country, be it in the field of space or electronics, internet, AI or semiconductor. The next decade for Indian youth is a decade of opportunities in the field of technology, which the Prime Minister has named as 'India Decade'. Policies are being formulated and implemented to encourage research and innovation in the field of technology in the country, due to which new doors of opportunities are opening up for the youth and students.
  • If we continue with the pace at which progress has been made in this direction during the last fifteen months, then undoubtedly we will be able to achieve significant achievements in the coming decade. In the next ten years, we will be able to achieve what our neighbor China could not do even after spending thirty years and two hundred billion dollars.

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Mains Exam Question

Considerable efforts have been made in the current year towards making India a semiconductor nation. Discuss.