Samsung to Hire Around 1,000 Engineers from Top Institutes !

Samsung is India's largest consumer electronics brand. They have  R&D Institutes in Bangalore, Noida, Delhi and Semiconductor Research center in Bengaluru. Samsung Plans to Hire around 1,000 Engineers from IITs & Top Engineering Institutes to Work on Cutting-Edge Technologies like AI, ML, IoT & Deep Learning who will work in their R&D institutes. These newly hired engineers will join in 2023 and will work on new-age technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep learning, Image Processing, IoT, Connectivity, Cloud, Big Data, Business Intelligence, Predictive Analysis, Communication Networks, System on a Chip (SoC) and Storage Solutions.

Samsung has decided to recruit engineers from multiple streams such as Computer Science and allied branches (AI/ML/Computer Vision/VLSI etc.), Information Technology, Electronics, Instrumentation, Embedded Systems and Communication Networks. In addition, it will also be hiring from streams such as Mathematics & Computing and Software Engineering.

“Strengthening their focus on innovation and cutting-edge technology, Samsung’s R&D centers aim to hire new talent from India’s top engineering institutes who will work on breakthrough innovations, technologies, products and designs, including India-centric innovations, that enrich people’s lives. This will further our vision of Powering Digital India,” said Sameer Wadhawan, Head, Human Resources, Samsung India.

Samsung R&D centres will hire around 200 engineers from top IITs such as IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Guwahati and IIT BHU, among others. They have also offered over 400 Pre Placement Offers (PPOs) to students at the IITs and other top institutions.

 

 Samsung R&D centers in India have built a strong culture of patent filing. Samsung research centers in India have filed over 7,500 patents in areas such as multi-camera solutions, televisions, digital applications, 5G, 6G and ultra-wide band wireless communications protocol. At Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore, a significant number of patent have been filed by  first-time inventors in emerging domains such as 5G, AI, ML, IoT, camera & vision technologies. With this the R&D center has emerged as the number one patent filer in India for inventions made in India and first filed in India and also won the National IP Award 2021 & 2022. Many of these patents have been commercialized in Samsung flagship Galaxy smartphones, smartwatches, network equipment and digital applications.

Courtesy : Image by Magnus Engo, Fidel Fernando on Unsplash 

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NXP is All Set To Join 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' Drive

Dutch Chip making company NXP has appointed Mr. Hitesh Garg as their Country Manager to lead operations and business in India.  Right now NXP has four sites in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Noida. Mr. Garg will be responsible for growing business in all four sites. 

NXP is keen to strengthen industry-govt-academia relationship with ita active participation in building semiconductor ecosystem in India. NXP is focusing on innovation. 

The company has set up new 'India Country Council' to support NXP India. It will consists of executives from different team and sites in India and they will collaborate with Mr.Garg to achieve NXP India's goal and objectives.

Courtesy: Image by Olaf from Pixabay 

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Polymatech is Manufacturing 400,000 Chips Per Day

Home-grown chip maker Polymatech's facility is up and running. Polymatech has commenced the manufacturing of its Opto-semiconductors and memory modules at Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu. 

Opto-semiconductors are the chips that are used in lighting, medical and food sanitisation applications and give more than 97 per cent CRI (Color Rendering Index). With a current manufacturing capacity of 400,000 chips every day, which has already been released into the market, the company plans to scale up manufacturing to 1 million per day that is 300 million chips per annum.

The company has also completely packaged Opto-semiconductors in both - HTCC and COBs. HTCC is High Temperature Co-fired Ceramic substrates and COB is Chip on Board. Both, HTCC and COB are closed tools and are wholly conceived, designed and developed by Polymatech. COBs are packed for High Power Lighting applications used for applications in stadium lighting, port lighting, airport lighting, etc., while Opto-semiconductors packed in HTCC substrates are used in aircraft, metro trains, mining stations, traffic lights, etc.

Further, UVa (Ultra Violet) chips in manufacturing are used in medical and food sanitisation applications. In addition, Polymatech is also in the final stages of production trials for semiconductor chips that will have medical and general applications.

According to Shri Eswara Rao Nandam, Founding President, Polymatech“By 2029, the global semiconductor industry market size is predicted to be $1,340 billion and the Indian market will form a significant portion of this industry with a projected growth of $64 billion by 2026. This, coupled with the ongoing worldwide chip shortage, makes for immense growth potential. We at Polymatech aim to leverage this global opportunity to the fullest and become one of the largest chip manufacturers in Asia by 2025”.

In July this year, Polymatech announced massive business expansion and investments to the tune of 1 billion in semiconductor chip manufacturing. The company currently has a 150,000 sq.ft state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu with temperature and RH-controlled clean rooms and machinery imported from Japan. 

Courtesy : Image by Anton Belitskiy, Sergei Starostin pexels.

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Capital Expenditure in PLI Scheme is on Rise

 

Rating agency ICRA has reported that Capital Expenditure or capex for production linked incentive (PLI) schemes for semiconductors and Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) batteries will trigger an annual investment of Rs one lakh crore in manufacturing capex from FY24, rising to Rs 1.7 lakh crore by FY26.

The Indian Government’s PLI scheme supports Make in India and helps manufacturers reduce dependency on imports of critical items like semiconductors and ACC batteries. These items essential components, so they have critical impact on overall cost and even the production can stop due to shortages. 

In January 2021, the Centre had approved a PLI scheme worth over Rs 76,000 crore for semiconductor production over the next six years. Rohit Ahuja, Head of Research and Outreach, ICRA says, “Based on our calculations, the annual capex from the PLI schemes are expected to cross Rs 1 trillion (Rs 1,00,000 crore) from FY24 and may peak at Rs 1.7 trillion (Rs 1,70,000 crore) in FY26. Hence, FY24 could be an inflexion point for a surge in India’s manufacturing capex.” India's electronics system market is expected to grow by 2.3 times its current size, reaching $160 billion by 2025, reveals a report prepared by Indian Electronic and Semiconductor Association (IESA), an industry lobby body.

According to the report, semiconductor and ACC batteries account for 70 percent of the major pending capex deployment. For the next five years, the Indian semiconductor and electronics sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30-35 percent. Moreover, US restrictions reducing semiconductor and chip-making equipment exports to China will benefit India in the future.

 As per the report from ICRA, five applicants under the PLI scheme for semiconductor and display fabrication are expected to produce 1.2 lakh wafers per month.The government has established the India Semiconductor Mission to assist applicants. ACC batteries PLI scheme has been approved by three entities. The government may increase the PLI outlay, witnessing additional 40 GWh capacity applications in the initial bidding, the report further added.The government is also considering launching PLI schemes for a few more sectors such as containers, electrolysers, power transmission equipment and so on to ensure that manufacturing capex remains high beyond FY26. “However, in the wake of rising input costs and unfavorable economic conditions, execution delays in certain sectors could be a concern.” Ahuja said.

Courtesy : www.pngegg.com

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IIIT Delhi Launches BTech in VLSI Engineering

The Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi has launched its first course in the EE+X format BTech programme - Electronics and VLSI Engineering (EVE) Electronics Engineering. The EE in EE+X stands for Electronics Engineering, and the "X" stands for some other field of knowledge or technology that compliments electronics engineering.

This is in addition to the existing Electronics and Communication Engineering programme. The curriculum for the EVE program was prepared after much discussion with the industry and academicians. It will prepare a student to undertake careers in industry, pursue advanced studies for research careers, or undertake entrepreneurial activities involving innovation and problem-solving.

IIIT-Delhi is also exploring ways to expose EVE students to semiconductor manufacturing (fabrication) and is planning to set up a fabrication facility or forge partnerships with existing facilities in the region. This exposure will further distinguish the students from the graduates from other institutes'' says Anuj Grover, an associate professor of the ECE department at the institute.

Courtesy  : Image by Daniel Ribeiro Cortat Arastoro and Gerd Altmann from Pixabay; Luis Gomes and Rfstudio from Pexels

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Review Sub-Committees to Evaluate Fab Proposal

The Centre has set up three sub-committees to evaluate the proposed project before approving incentives. GOI has set up three sub-committees to evaluate the multi billion dollar proposals received after declaration of ISM.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFC) are the part of the sub committees that will evaluate the proposals. 2nd committee is formed with officials from National Investment and infrastructure Fund(NIIF). 3rd sub- committee is formed with 21 member expert group of ISM (Chaired by Minister Shri Ashwini Baisnav)and includes three domain experts also.

The committees are evaluating each proposals from all aspects including financial viability, technical expertise, financial capability of the partners. Since all the projects are worth multi billion and they will receive huge incentive from central and state governments, GOI is evaluating each proposal very carefully. First Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and then Cabinet must be convinced about all aspects of the project and then only the project will pass. 

Mr. Vinod Dham who is known as father of the Intel Pentium chip, has signed up to be one of the advisers to the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). He, along with a group of individuals, will oversee proposals from firms looking to build semiconductor plants in India under the government’s production-linked incentive (PLI). In an interview, Mr Dham said he sees great progress on the country’s chip plans and expects some movement to happen within a year.

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ISMC Waiting For Centre's Approval

ISMC's $3 billion chip fab in Mysuru is waiting for the approval for the fiscal support from GOI. Once approved mostly the construction work will start in February. The International Semiconductor Consortium or ISMC has proposed and inked a $3 billion agreement with the Karnataka government in May this year to set up a chip-manufacturing plant on 150 acres of land in Mysuru's Kochanahalli Industrial Area. 

As per the proposal the fab can handle 40,000 Wafer Starts Per Month (WSPM) of 300mm (i.e. 12 inches) size wafers at 65nm process nodes when running at full capacity.

Next Orbit Director Ajay Jalan said"We will now have four investors: Tower Semiconductor of Israel, our technology partner that will take 10-15 per cent stake (it has been bought over by Intel recently); the two Indian companies that will have more than 26 per cent but less than 51 per cent stake; and the balance will be with us. There has been no change in products, which we will manufacture, or in the total capacity of production."  

Karnataka minister for information technology, electronics, and skills development, Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, said in an interview that,“We will probably become the first state in India to have a semiconductor fab. ISMC has the technology and the capability. Subject to the central government’s approval, we hope to see work starting on this plant from February," .He added that ISMC would make 40-65 nanometre (nm) analog chips to “cater to the defense and automotive sectors, and then to other areas".The minister said he expects the semiconductor foundry to take four years to build, “but it can happen earlier too".

Recently The US Govt. has imposed restrictions on the sales of semiconductors and chip making equipment to China. This is also encouraging companies to consider India as an alternative destination. India already has expertise in designing chips although the absence of semiconductor fabs means it has dependency on others to fulfill all its chip requirements. State policymakers expects the design capabilities of Indian companies will also attract companies to set up fab in India.“The strength of Karnataka is design, where we are No.2 in the world. From chip designing, we now want to become a chipmaker," Minister Dr. Narayan added.

One news is that ISMC Analog is all set to seal debt deal with five-bank consortium led by SBI. Two Indian companies who are set to pick up a combined stake of anywhere between 26 and 51% in the ISMC, Mostly these two Indian Firms are HCL and Reliance. 

Courtesy : Image by Samuel Faber from Pixabay and Sergei Starostin from pexels

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NXP India Offers Scholarship

NXP India offers scholarship Rs 50,000 in scholarship to aspiring women engineers. NXP India, an R&D center for NXP Semiconductors, launched a programme called “Women in Tech (WIT)” to correct the gender imbalance in the semiconductor design industry.It offers a one-year specialized training to 50 female students currently in the second semester of BE/BTech in electronics/computer science at a college in India. As per a press release, this is a hybrid programme encompassing theory, industry-relevant use cases and practical classes on SoC Architecture, Analog Design, Design Architecture, Verilog/System Verilog, Verification & Validation, RISC-V and DFT Basics.

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eInfochips Launches Professional Course

In March this year, eInfochips announced the launch of its EICFutureFit program and its first partner under the program – Ganpat University (GUNI). These programs is an  Work Integrated Learning Programs wherein all selected candidates will be provided cutting-edge education to ensure that they are industry-ready when they graduate. eInfochips  is responsible for course design and bringing an industry perspective to the skills in demand. Senior Technical persons from the firm will be the faculty and mentors. The course is designed with industry ready content and live case scenarios. The involvement of the firm’s senior technical leaders as faculty and mentors will bring industry-ready content and live case scenarios to the classroom. This approach will enable candidates to be equipped with the right skills to be market ready. All candidates will get a job even before the course begins. Candidates who complete all program requirements will receive a MCA or MTech degree from the university. eInfochips plans to offer such programs to 500-plus candidates annually under the EIC FutureFit initiative, within the next five years, eInfochips has announced this  programme to co-create and offer in-demand technical courses in market-relevant topics such as automation, IoT device security, cloud architecture, VLSI engineering & DevOps, and more.

Ganpat University has launched the first batch of MCA & MTech programs in collaboration with  EIC FutureFit. Since this is an Work Integrated Learning Programs, all selected candidates will be provided cutting-edge education to help ensure that they are industry-ready when they graduate. Ganpat University will leverage its network of academic experts to bring the best of domestic and international faculty to deliver the courses. The program will be run in an in-class blended mode where classes by international experts will be offered online. In contrast, modules by faculty based in India will be delivered in person.

Courtesy : Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay ; Image by Icsa and Anna Shvets from pexels

 

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DIR-V Microprocessor Program

In this article we will discuss about  GOI 's big plan with RISC-V architecture. 

RISC-V is pronounced as "risk-five". RISC stands for Reduced Instruction Set Computer where five refers to the number of generations of RISC architecture that were developed at the University of California, Berkeley since 1981.  Its an open standard instruction set architecture (ISA) based on established RISC principles. Unlike most other ISA designs, RISC-V is provided under open source licenses that do not require fees to use. A number of companies are offering or have announced RISC-V hardware, open source operating systems with RISC-V support are available, and the instruction set is supported in several popular software tool chains.

 GOI announced the launch of Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) program. This program is launched with an ambition to deliver world-class silicon by the end of 2023. DIR-V will see Indian industry and academia team to develop Systems on Chips (SoC) for servers, mobile devices, automotive applications, IoT devices, and micro controllers.

Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar was present on 27th April 2022 during the launch of DIR-V program. Shri Chandrasekhar, a former Intel chip designer who now serves as India’s minister of state for entrepreneurship, skill development, electronics & technology, said DIR-V aims to "achieve industry-grade silicon and design wins by December 2023."This initiative is in line with the government’s ambition toward Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) have developed two microprocessors named Shakti (32 bit) and Vega (64 bit) using open source architecture. The government has appointed IIT-Madras director professor V. Kamakoti as the chief architect and CDAC-Thiruvananthapuram scientist Krishnakumar Rao as the programme manager of the programme.

GOI has announced India has joined RISC-V International as a Premiere Board Member. RISC-V International is the non-profit that oversees RISC-V. This is a clear sign that India is committed to build the semiconductor ecosystem.

The Union Minister further added, “Challenging the status quo, RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) is witnessing a quantum leap and unprecedented levels of processor innovation owing to its free and open nature. Today, there is a thriving ecosystem of chip designers in academia, scientific societies, and startups in the country, contending to gain the market share in RISC-V growing market. ”

He added, “We want at least a few companies to adopt their product designs to DIR-V products Shakti and Vega before 2023-24 and when the silicon is ready, they start manufacturing and incorporating chips in the products. We also believe over the next one and a half years, the partnership between the Shakri and Vega teams and the overall DIR-V program with platform companies like HP, VVDN, Apple, and a large number of companies in the electronic ecosystem will help create design wins around DIR-V family of products Shakti and Vega.”

The DIR-V initiative is a part of the government’s initial ₹76,000 crore effort to build a semiconductor ecosystem in the country. It will consolidate and leverage the ongoing efforts in the country with an integrated multi-institutional and multi-location team, finalize the formal architecture and target performance of chipsets, support original equipment makers and design win in India and abroad. 

According to the government’s vision document, India will use semiconductors worth $70-80 billion to manufacture electronics products worth $300 billion by 2026, . The Center is aiming to make the country self reliant in the semiconductor segment as disruption in supply during recent pandemic situation has led to shortages of chip which in turn increased in input costs for products and services, leading to increasing inflation. 

Courtesy : Jeremy Waterhouse, Sergei Starostin, Miguel-á-Ppadriñán from pexels

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Display Manufacturing in Telangana

Rajesh Exports owned Bengaluru-based Elest has signed a MoU with Telangana government to set up India’s first display fab facility to manufacture advanced AMOLED displays. This will be a Rs 24,000 crore project. It will supply AMOLED displays to TV, smartphone and tablet makers globally.

The MoU between Elest and Telangana government was signed in the presence of Industries & IT Minister of Telengana Mr. K T Rama Rao along with Chairman of Rajesh Exports Rajesh Mehta. The state government said that this MoU would make the Telangana the most sought-after location in India for semiconductors.

Elest was established by Rajesh Exports with the vision of manufacturing innovative technology products such as AMOLED displays, Lithium-ion cells, batteries, and EVs. To set up the facility in Telangana, Elest will take inputs from some of the most advanced and finest research centres across the world.

“Having a Display FAB in Telangana would put India on a global map at par with select few countries such as China, USA, and Japan. Since the announcement of India Semiconductor Mission, Government of Telangana has been working on a mission mode to have a Fab in the State and this investment will provide us further encouragement to continue our efforts”, said Telangana Industries & IT Minister K T Rama Rao.

Speaking during the MoU signing event, Chairman of Rajesh Exports Rajesh Mehta said that Elest will generate Gen6 AMOLED displays which will attract global attention and bring in business. The Display Fab  Unit will boost the Electronics and IT ecosystem in the country. It will be set under the India Semiconductor Mission programme of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology. Elest would also be setting up a research and development center for research in the next generation areas of advanced display technology.

Courtesy : Image by Firmbee ,Finnrich ,Marilyn Murphy from Pixabay

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Technical Support by IMEC

India’s ambition to set up a semiconductor plant in the country is slowly coming to reality. Belgium based IMEC has agreed to provide technical support to create a semiconductor ecosystem in India. IMEC or Interuniversity MicroElectronics Centre (IMEC) of Belgium is  an intermediate research organisation in the world of semiconductor fabs.  According to officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), IMEC, will also develop talent and research abilities in the country. The government has signed an agreement with (IMEC), which will provide the technology to manufacture chips of 28 nm and above. Cutting-edge tech from IMEC will be transferred to the company that sets up a semiconductor plant in India. 

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India Taiwan Business Relationship

Talks between India and Taiwan for signing a Free Trade Agreement are underway for a while now. Both the nations have started negotiations with a primary focus on setting up of a semiconductor manufacturing hub in India by a Taiwanese firm.  Taiwan wants to move its businesses away from China and India wants to become a global hub for semiconductors. A successful agreement would help both the countries.Taiwan is eyeing the possibility of establishing a representative office in Mumbai given the huge potential for investments and manufacturing in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

India -Taiwan trade relations always been low-key because of Indian apprehension about possible reactions from China.Recently the relationship between India and Taiwan is going through some important changes. All these developments are slow-paced although it appears now that India intend to expand and strengthen its economic ties with Taiwan significantly. 

Taiwan’s deputy minister of economic affairs, Mr. Chen Chern-Chyi,  was on an official visit to India recently. He addressed a delegation of businessmen and investors including IT companies with the goal of accelerating the pace of cooperation between India and Taiwan. Discussion between two countries are going on regarding a number of issues like a free trade agreement (FTA) , cooperation on semiconductor and supply chain issues. 

Taiwan is considered a leader in semiconductor manufacturing and India is keen to develop its semiconductor ecosystem with a goal of becoming g as “a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design.” These collaboration with Taiwan will help India. From building an exclusive township to setting up a massive semiconductor facility, Taiwan is looking to collaborate in all sphere. 

Courtesy : www.pngegg.com

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Semiconductor Fabrication Unit by ISMC

ISMC has declared about  investment of  3 billion dollar in  Karnataka to set up a chip-making plant. India's first semiconductor fabrication unit is expected to generate more than 1,500 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs. ISMC is a joint venture between Abu Dhabi-based Next Orbit Ventures and Israel's Tower Semiconductor. U.S. chip giant Intel Corp has announced plans to acquire Tower.  Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri Bommai is very confident about the project and said, "Like we pioneered IT, BT and startups in India, we will now pioneer in the semiconductor sector too". 

ISMC is one among the three applicants that have proposed to set up semiconductor fab units in the country. Recently they have wrote to the GOI urging it to expedite the incentive approvals necessary to start building a factory by the end of this year.  The consortium has proposed a 3 Billion Dollar  analogue fab along with Tower Semiconductor. In reply the government has also asked ISMC to “submit additional information” on the project plan. As per an industry representative aware of the exchange between ISMC and the government , it was expected approvals would roll out by October. Athough ISMC still waiting for incentive support.  Like ISMC , ISMC , Singapore-based IGSS Ventures has also said earlier that investors were becoming ‘wary and impatient’  and requested the ministry to move faster. IGSS has proposed a Rs 25,000 Crore fab in TamilNadu.

Courtesy : Image by OpenClipart-Vectors,  Shafin Al Asad Protic , Axonite from Pixabay 

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Tata Group in Semiconductor Sector

Tata Electronics is all set to enter into advanced packaging of semiconductor components. They are in talks with large global semiconductor companies and Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) vendors. OSAT vendors provide third-party Integrated Circuit-packaging and test services. Tata Electronics already runs an operational facility in Hosur , Tamil Nadu. They want to expand their facilities and has surveyed four other states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Odisha - as prospective locations.  

Tata Motors is India’s largest electric carmaker.Renesas

Electronics is a Japanese chip manufacturer. Tata Motors is partnering with Renesas Electronics to design and develop semiconductors. Electric cars are the future of the auto industry and Tata Motors sold 19,105 electric cars last year. Car makers across the world look to make electric cars and more microchips, such as the ones Renesas makes, are getting embedded in cars.

 Designing chips in collaboration with Renesas will come in handy for the current and newer electric cars to be made by Jaguar Land Rover. These microcomputers control varied functions from fuel injections to running infotainment systems and acting as the car’s brain for cruise control. Last year Renesas,  earned a little over $9 billion in revenue which is  almost 46% of its sales from carmakers. This is unlike most other chip makers, which make the bulk of their sales from the consumer electronics industry.

Courtesy : Sergei Starostin from www.pexels.com; Marilyn Murphy from Pixabay 

 

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Dixon Technologies in IT Hardware Manufacturing:

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology (MeitY) approved 14 eligible applicants under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for IT hardware manufacturing.

Dixon Technologies (India) is one of the 14 companies (domestic & international) which has been granted approval under the PLI scheme. Four companies have been selected under the category IT hardware companies include Dell, ICT (Wistron), Flextronics and Rising Stars Hi-Tech (Foxconn).

Under the category of domestic companies, 10 companies namely Dixon Technologies (India), Lava International, Infopower Technologies (JV of Sahasra and MiTAC), Bhagwati (Micromax) Neolync, Optiemus, Netweb, Smile Electronics, VVDN and Panache Digilife have been approved.

Dixon Technologies (India) is the largest home grown design-focused and solutions company engaged in manufacturing products in the consumer durable, lighting and mobile phones markets in India. It also provides solutions in reverse logistics i.e. repair and refurbishment services of LED TV panels. 

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Foxconn-Vedanta Joint Venture in Gujarat

Foxconn have invested in India and working in collaboration with Vedanta group. Vedanta Group is entering the semiconductor  and display business with this joint venture. Vedanta Chairman Mr. Anil Agarwal said,  “Foxconn is our technical partner. We may not take equity partner for the fab" . Vedanta is keen to get incentives from GOI and was also in talks with several Indian states on the unit's location.  The first phase of Vedanta's project would entail an investment of  2 billion Dollar.  India estimates its semiconductor market will reach 63 billion dollar by 2026, compared with 15 billion dollar in 2020. "You have to create another Taiwan in India," as Mr. Agarwal said, noting that India will have to focus on bringing the entire semiconductor ecosystem locally for it to be a global .

Foxconn wants to set up a skill development center in India similar to the  facility name  Hon Hai Research Institute in Taiwan. Foxconn is keen to buildup  an ecosystem to support their planned business expansion here in India. This research center is basically the vocational centers and the industry-academic correlation hub. This  idea was discussed by Foxconn top executives in presence of state officials during Foxconn’s Chairman’s India visit. They are basically eyeing to expand its base in India in for EVs, semiconductors and electronics manufacturing and hence the need to develop skilled workforce for all the domains. In Taiwan, Foxconn’s home country, the Hon Hai Research Institute was established in 2020. The institute has five research centers for artificial intelligence, semiconductors, next-generation communications, information security and quantum computing. So  we can expect a similar scenario in India as well.Vedanta and Foxconn finalized the location of their manufacturing facility. They will invest over ₹1.54 lakh crore to set up a display fabrication and semiconductor manufacturing facility in Gujarat. The proposed facility will come up over the next two years,  according to the deal signed recently. The mining giant will hold 60% stake in the joint venture while the Taiwanese chip maker will own the balance 40%. The JV became the fourth to announce plans under the  initial ₹76,000-crore PLI  scheme to foster chip-making capabilities in the country. Terming of the MoU as "an important step (in) accelerating India's semiconductor manufacturing ambitions," PM Modi said in a Twitter post that " the investment of ₹1.54 lakh crore will create a significant impact to boost the economy and jobs. This will also create a huge ecosystem for ancillary industries and help our MSMEs."

Foxconn chairman Young Liu  was on a visit to India as its India arm Bharat FIH proceeded with plans to go public this year. During his visit Mr. Liu has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, minister of communications, electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar. He has also met Akarsh Hebbar, Vedanta Group’s global managing director of display and semiconductor business as part of a proposed partnership between Foxconn Group and Vedanta Group. 

 

 

Courtesy:  Image by Gerd Altmann,OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay ; Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay ;Mikhail Nilov from pexels

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India Semiconductor Mission and PLI Scheme

India Semiconductor Mission :

India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) has been setup as an Independent Business Division within Digital India Corporation having administrative and financial autonomy to formulate and drive India’s long term strategies for developing semiconductors and display manufacturing facilities and semiconductor design ecosystem. Envisioned to be led by global experts in the Semiconductor and Display industry, ISM will serve as the nodal agency for efficient, coherent and smooth implementation of the schemes. 
Four schemes have been introduced under the  programme:

Depending on technology node GOI has announced fiscal support to the companies.  Following fiscal support has been approved and announced : 

• 28nm or Lower - Up to 50% of the Project Cost

• Above 28 nm to 45nm - Up to 40% of the Project Cost

• Above 45 nm to 65nm - Up to 30% of the Project Cost

See the press release for detail.

Visit the web page for ISM to get the whole picture.

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) notified on 24th February 2021 about the “Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme” . Objective of such a scheme was to boost domestic manufacturing, investments and export in the telecom and networking products. The PLI Scheme is planned to be implemented within the overall financial limits of ₹ 12,195 Crores over a period of 5 years. For MSME category, ₹1000 Crores have allocated. SIDBI or Small Industries Development Bank of India has been appointed as the Project Management Agency (PMA) for the PLI scheme.The scheme have been effective from 1st April, 2021. Investment made by successful applicants in India from 1 st April, 2021 onward and up to Financial Year (FY) 2024-2025 shall be eligible, subject to qualifying incremental annual thresholds. The support under the Scheme shall be provided for a period of five (5) years, i.e. from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26.

Government of India has identified 14 sectors under the production linked incentive (PLI) schemes . The domestic electronics hardware manufacturing sector suffers disability of around 8.5% to 11% on account of lack of adequate infrastructure, domestic supply chain and logistics; high cost of finance; inadequate availability of quality power; limited design capabilities and focus on R&D by the industry; and inadequacies in skill development. As per Honorable FM Nirmala Sitaraman incentives are necessary to provide enough ground for people to come out of China and invest in India.She further explained that the idea of Atmanirbhar campaign is not to make goods produced using imported components more expensive. Sitaraman added that the principle of Atmanirbhar Bharat is to build capacities in India and scale up production inside India. Furthermore, the PLI applies to areas where India has good advantages which includes sectors that are scalable, the products of which have a demand and market in India, and where jobs can be added. Honerable finance minister added that the government is working on bringing in newer areas where the future lies within the PLI scheme. 

Visit the webpage and read the detail of the PLI scheme.

In September this year, the Union Cabinet approved changes to the semiconductor PLI scheme, allowing for uniform fiscal support of 50 per cent of project cost for semiconductor fabs across technology nodes and display manufacturing. It also raised the fiscal support for compound semiconductors, packaging and other semiconductor facilities to 50 per cent from 30 per cent earlier.

India aims to become a key player in the global supply chain for chips. So GOI has a planning of expanding incentives beyond an initial 10 billion dollar plan for those investing in semiconductor manufacturing. Semicon India 2022  have been organised to get experts from all over the world to come together to discuss various subjects, including India’s future in chip manufacturing. The semiconductors sector had a wide geographic dependence. For instance, the Netherlands is the only country that makes chip-making machines and South Korea is one of the largest manufacturers of chips. According to experts presents in the event , global order is changing and like minded countries must work together to keep the supply chain intact and smooth.   They expressed confidence India can become a semiconductor hub. Gert Heijkoop, consul-general of the Netherlands, said: “India built space technology from scratch in a few decades and is now launching satellites at less than half the price that we do within Europe or the United States. Such a country can build on semiconductor technology and become leaders in this area.”

India, Israel, the US and the UAE is looking to form an alliance for chip manufacturing. Ambassador of Israel Naor Gilon said on this context that the world was changing and countries were now looking for regional alliances. The group of four is set to work on infrastructure with an emphasis on technology. “India brings in technology and a huge market. The UAE brings in finances and ability to transport and build business. The Americans are bringing the full package. We are the smallest player here and are bringing technology.  This  alliance is extremely important for the future of our countries,” he added.

In a bid to push a self-reliant India and attract more investment in electronics manufacturing, India raised fiscal support for the semiconductor and display fabs investment and launched the second tranche of incentive policy on solar modules.The Cabinet, approved modifications in the scheme for semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem, with a uniform fiscal support of 50 per cent of the project cost for all technology nodes and setting up of display fabs. Industry welcomes modifications to India's semiconductor policy. The decision of the government has been praised by the industry veterans, with many stating that this policy will be a landmark one and can accelerate India's semiconductor fab dreams.

Courtesy : https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1808676 ; https://ism.gov.in/for ISM ;

Pixabay, Brett Jordan from www.pexels.com, www.pngegg.com

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Skilled Workforce Preparation

Industry require considerable number of skilled workforce. So we need dedicated training systems for that. Industry veterans also suggested same thing in a meet with Niti Ayog. That straight points to involvement of educational institutes in industry related projects. 

The Indian Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar has received approval to run a project under the Chips to Startups program. Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneshwar MInister Shri Aswini Vaishnav said that IIT Bhubaneswar had joined the government’s Chips to Startups program. The Chips to Startup program of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) aims to train 85,000 high-quality engineers in Very large-scale integration (VLSI) and Embedded System Design technologies.

Apart from the project at IIT Bhubaneswar, the IIT Hyderabad also plans to start an undergraduate course in VLSI design and technology, which also aims to create a pool of highly qualified semiconductor engineers and technical experts.

Both the courses are a part of the IT ministry’s plan to train 85,000 engineers for various roles in the semiconductor industry, apart from nearly 250,000 shop-floor technicians and junior engineers. For the training of shop-floor technicians, the government has tied up with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute and The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.

Courtesy : Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay 

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Polymatech’s Semiconductor Plant in Tamilnadu

Polymatech, an Tamil Nadu-based semiconductor chip manufacturer, has signed an MoU with the Govt. of Tamil Nadu to invest $1 billion by 2025 in manufacturing semiconductor chips. The company stated they have already made an initial investment of $130 million.

Polymatech say that they have imported all the necessary equipment from Japan for manufacturing the chips in India. Polymatech say that they have successfully completed all the required trials, with the first phase of imported machinery having a capacity of 250 million chips.

As per recent news Polymatech has started to roll-out 400,000 chips a day now and very soon will ramp up to 1 million per day. These chips are used in high-power electronics.

 Read about Polymatech's work.

Courtesy : Image by Steven from Pixabay 

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