‘Government’s semiconductor mission will promote research’: MeitY Additional Secretary
Though India accounts for nearly 20% of the world’s semiconductor design engineers, it doesn’t have its own design firms, says Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary, Electronics and IT Ministry, at the The Hindu Deep Tech Summit; the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 will expand beyond the first phase to include research and development, equipment manufacturing and skilling, he adds
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Context
At the Deep Tech Summit 2026, the CEO of the announced the strategic shift toward developing a holistic electronics ecosystem under ISM 2.0. The government highlighted that while India possesses 20% of the world’s semiconductor design engineers, it lacks domestic design firms, necessitating stronger industry-academia collaboration and dedicated funding for fundamental research and deep tech start-ups.
UPSC Perspectives
Economic
The transition from the initial to ISM 2.0 marks a maturation in India's industrial policy. While Phase 1 (launched in 2021 with a ₹76,000 crore outlay) successfully attracted basic assembly, testing, marking, and packaging (ATMP) facilities, ISM 2.0 expands the value chain (the full range of activities needed to create a product). The new phase targets the localized production of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, specialty chemicals, gases, and advanced materials. This holistic approach is critical to reducing import dependencies and insulating the domestic economy from global supply chain shocks. By fostering domestic manufacturing capabilities at every node of production, the policy aligns with the imperative, ensuring that India transitions from a mere consumer of electronics to a sovereign manufacturing hub.
Science & Technology
The summit underscored the growing importance of the deep tech ecosystem (start-ups based on significant scientific breakthroughs or engineering innovations, rather than just app-based business models). Deep tech ventures in fields like AI, advanced materials, and space tech inherently face the Valley of Death (the critical phase where a start-up has a working prototype but lacks the funding to commercialize it due to long gestation periods). To address this, the government is leaning on frameworks like the which provides targeted interventions. Institutions such as the are pivotal in providing the necessary patient capital, market access, and mentoring. Furthermore, integration with the ensures that fundamentally strong companies receive concessional, long-term R&D funding to transform laboratory research into scalable, real-world solutions.
Governance
A glaring structural paradox in India's technology sector is the mismatch between human capital and domestic Intellectual Property (IP) generation. Despite accounting for nearly a fifth of the global semiconductor design workforce, India operates primarily as a back-office for foreign tech giants rather than hosting indigenous fabless design companies. The government is attempting to correct this through the , which offers financial support to domestic companies developing semiconductor designs. The article also highlights a critical governance challenge within education: universities must pivot from merely producing graduates to actively fostering industry-academia collaboration (partnerships where academic research directly addresses industrial problems). Establishing institutional frameworks for technology transfer and upgrading laboratory infrastructure are essential steps to translate India's immense intellectual potential into impactful global solutions.