SEMICON INDIA-FAB SO FAR!

India is eyeing a semiconductor market size of $64 billion by 2026-and is also gearing up well for the big dartboard of the global $600 billion pie by 2030. What will help us, and what can stop us, in being-All that, and a bag of chips?

- Pratima H

Rajeev Khushu, Chairperson, IESA- India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (the premier industry organisation representing the Semiconductor and Electronics Systems Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) Industry in India) is beaming with confidence and excitement after the recent Semicon Conference inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi (and-as he underlines-seriously attended by some top government authorities as well as industry stalwarts). But a major chunk of his enthusiasm lies in the direction, and the pace, which the Indian industry has picked. There is a lot that we have achieved in terms of self-reliance. India is emerging strongly on the global map for top manufacturers. And there is a lot that we need to grab when it comes to the right model, design edge and sustainable indigenisation. He gives us a view of this fresh circuit in this interview. Let's find out why he feels 'the stars are aligning for India now'.

What's your reckoning of the current traction of Make in India?

We are definitely on the right track. It started with smartphones and today we see most of manufacturing happening in India. The Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) kicked it off well and the journey was strengthened with PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme. Now that we have got a stronghold there, we should look beyond this segment and explore areas like medical devices and electric vehicles. We are getting a lot of interest and action from the top global majors for building their products here and this is not just for catering to domestic appetite but exports too. We are working on semicon parks across India. We are asking the government to accelerate these parks to ensure that the design community stays here.

What's still missing or needs to be worked upon?