Semiconductor wafer on dicing tape (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched SEMICON India 2026, the fifth edition of the annual event, at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi, with the government reiterating its target of a $200 billion semiconductor market.
The three-day summit, themed ‘Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem,’ features over 600 exhibitors from 52 countries and more than 150 speakers across 15,000 square metres of exhibition space.
The launch coincided with PM Modi’s 76th birthday and Vishwakarma Jayanti, which he referenced while linking India’s craftsmanship heritage to its semiconductor ambitions.
At a CEO roundtable ahead of the inauguration, Japan’s Fujifilm announced an ₹800 crore investment in a new greenfield semiconductor materials facility in India.
The Semicon India Programme has approved 12 projects so far, with three units already in commercial production and a newly approved Semicon 2.0 phase to deepen the ecosystem further.
The event includes six country pavilions and twelve state government pavilions, along with a Startup Pavilion featuring 40 emerging semiconductor and electronics startups.
Around 400 academic institutions and 105 startups are being given access to electronic design automation (EDA) tools as part of the initiative to build domestic chip-design capacity.
The government has approved 12 semiconductor projects under the Semicon India Programme so far, with three units under the initial Semicon 1.0 phase having already commenced commercial production.
Twenty-four startups have been approved under the Design Linked Incentive scheme, which supports Indian companies developing semiconductor chip designs.
The government has also approved a Semicon 2.0 phase of the programme, structured around six pillars aimed at deepening India’s semiconductor ecosystem.
Ahead of the inauguration, PM Modi chaired a roundtable with global semiconductor CEOs, emphasizing close collaboration between government and industry on skilling, innovation and emerging technologies such as AI and quantum computing.
Japanese company Fujifilm announced an investment of ₹800 crore for a new greenfield semiconductor materials manufacturing facility in India, following its CEO’s attendance at the PM’s roundtable.
Semiconductor wafer on dicing tape (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
