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NEW DELHI: India’s semiconductor ambitions received a fresh boost as the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) convened Semiconductor India 2026 – National Conference on Accelerating India’s Semiconductor Sovereignty, bringing together senior government officials, industry executives, academia, startups, MSMEs and technology experts to chart the country’s next phase of growth in the strategically critical chip sector.
Sheetal Chopra, Director of the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology said India’s demographic advantage could become its biggest competitive edge if backed by quality technical education. While fabrication plants and investments are essential, she noted that long-term success will depend on developing engineers capable of contributing across the semiconductor value chain from day one.
She highlighted NIELIT’s nationwide network of 56 centres and specialised programmes covering semiconductor design, VLSI, embedded systems and emerging technologies. Initiatives such as the Centre of Excellence in Chip Design in Noida, the national e-Chip Hub learning platform and upcoming Centres of Excellence in Assam and Gujarat are expected to expand access to advanced semiconductor education, particularly across Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
The conference reflected a growing consensus that while India has made significant policy progress through the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and its expanded ISM 2.0 programme, the next challenge lies in translating policy into manufacturing capacity, supply-chain resilience and a globally competitive talent pipeline.
Representing the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Tulika Pandey, Scientist ‘G’ and Group Coordinator, described semiconductors as a strategic pillar of India’s technological future. She said ISM and ISM 2.0 are creating a comprehensive ecosystem spanning semiconductor design, fabrication, packaging, testing, research and advanced manufacturing.
Pandey urged Indian companies to evolve beyond being technology adopters and become technology creators by investing in advanced materials, global standards, emerging technologies and ethical innovation.
Industry leaders also underscored the scale of the opportunity.
Madhvendra Singh, Chief Executive Officer of the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI), described semiconductor sovereignty as both an economic and national security priority. He pointed to the approval of 13 semiconductor projects, cumulative investments exceeding $20 billion and projections that India’s domestic semiconductor market could approach $130 billion by 2030.
Meeting that demand, he said, will require nearly 400,000 semiconductor professionals and around 1.5 million skilled workers across the broader semiconductor ecosystem.
Singh emphasised that MSMEs will play a central role in component manufacturing, testing, packaging and precision engineering. ESSCI, he said, is developing industry-focused occupational standards, specialised curricula, Centres of Excellence, apprenticeship programmes and faculty development initiatives to build a globally competitive workforce.
For manufacturers, the focus is now shifting from announcements to execution.
Karan Mangla, Co-Chair of PHDCCI’s Foreign Trade & Investment Committee and Promoter & Director of S H Haryana Wire, said India has established a strong policy foundation through ISM and ISM 2.0. The priority now, he argued, is to accelerate infrastructure development, ensure cleanroom readiness, strengthen power and water availability, and simplify regulatory approvals to support large-scale manufacturing.
Mangla also stressed that semiconductor self-reliance cannot be achieved without a strong domestic supplier base. He called for dedicated vendor development programmes, manufacturing clusters, stronger industry-academia partnerships and targeted support for MSMEs involved in specialty materials, precision engineering and cleanroom technologies.
Summing up the broader vision, Dr. Jatinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General of PHDCCI, said semiconductors have become central to economic resilience, technological leadership and national security amid shifting global supply chains. He noted that the conference aimed to create a common platform for policymakers, industry and academia to identify gaps in manufacturing, infrastructure, investment and workforce development while strengthening indigenous capabilities.
The conference also hosted two technical sessions focusing on workforce development under ISM 2.0 and strategies for scaling domestic semiconductor manufacturing and indigenous chip design. Participants discussed advanced packaging, research, investment opportunities, startup participation, MSME integration and supply-chain resilience.
With coordinated efforts across government, industry and academia, the panel said India is increasingly positioned to become a trusted global hub for semiconductor design, manufacturing and innovation, advancing the country’s broader vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047.
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