Union Minister for Railways, Information &
Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini
Vaishnaw, on Saturday (4 July) said India has entered a new
era in the semiconductor sector, as the CG SEMI (OSAT) facility in Sanand,
Gujarat commenced commercial production, becoming the country’s third
semiconductor plant to do so this year. He said a robust semiconductor
manufacturing ecosystem is taking shape under the Prime Minister’s visionary
leadership, one that will serve as the foundation for a developed India, the
chips manufactured here will be exported throughout the world-US,Europe, Japan
and more.
Thanking Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Gujarat
Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, and Deputy Chief Minister Shri
Harsh Sanghavi, Shri Vaishnaw credited the Gujarat government’s active
cooperation and effective execution for enabling the plant to move from
groundbreaking to commercial production in just 27 months. Shri
Vaishnaw noted that the Prime Minister had earlier launched the country’s first
and second semiconductor plants on 28 February and 31 March 2026 respectively,
and that with this third plant now in commercial production, global confidence
in India’s semiconductor capability and reliability has strengthened
further. Of the 12 semiconductor
projects approved by the central government, three are now in commercial
production, with two more set to be inaugurated in the coming months. By the
end of 2026, five semiconductor plants are expected to be operational across
the country, momentum Shri Vaishnaw said would boost the Atmanirbhar Bharat
mission. Shri Vaishnaw
described the plant as not just a technical achievement but also a symbol of
social change. Young women from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar,
Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, and Gujarat are finding employment as operators at
the facility, having travelled to Malaysia for specialised training. He added
that as India’s own semiconductor ecosystem matures, similar world-class
training could increasingly be made available within the country itself. Shri
Vaishnaw said chips manufactured at the facility will serve automobiles,
scooters, and industrial equipment domestically, while also being exported to
Japan, the United States, and Europe, positioning India as a meaningful
contributor to the global semiconductor supply chain. He noted that the
facility’s groundbreaking was held on 13 March 2024, with an investment of over
₹7,600 crore, and that it was built in partnership with Renesas Electronics,
Japan, giving India access to global semiconductor technologies, manufacturing
practices, and quality systems.
Shri Vaishnaw noted that over the past four years, India’s semiconductor
sector has seen substantial progress: 12 semiconductor units are currently under
construction, 24 deep-tech chip design startups have emerged, over 70,000 young
people have been trained in chip design, and 315 universities now offer
semiconductor design-related courses. He added that India’s first semiconductor
fab, coming up in Dholera, is progressing rapidly. He further noted that
India’s electronics manufacturing sector has grown into an industry worth close
to ₹13 lakh crore, supporting over 25 lakh jobs, progress he said would
establish India as a global technology power. Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi graced the occasion, touring the facility’s
Experience Centre and Clean Room, interacting with operators and engineers, and
unveiling the plaque marking the commencement of commercial production,
following which the Chairman of CG SEMI handed over the facility’s first
product to the Global Vice President and President, Renesas Electronics
India. The event was attended
by Gujarat government ministers, Members of Parliament, MLAs, industry
representatives, senior officials of CG SEMI, and young engineers and staff
from across the country. Shri Vaishnaw said the commencement of
commercial production at the CG SEMI facility marks another significant step
towards strengthening India’s position in the global semiconductor value chain,
reinforcing the country’s emergence as a trusted and self-reliant destination
for semiconductor manufacturing, and establishing India as a rising global
technology power.