Chip design skills, give India edge in semiconductor manufacturing

Director of IBM Research India and CTO of IBM India and South Asia, Dr Amith Singhee, in an interaction with Dipak Mondal, explains breakthroughs in quantum computing and Generative AI. Excerpts:

- Dr Amith Singhee

India has set an ambitious target of becoming a semiconductor manufacturing hub. What are the main challenges India faces in achieving this target?

India, like any other country, faces challenges in this area—primarily because there hasn’t been a semiconductor manufacturing setup here historically. Existing providers in this space are well-established, and their supply chains are firmly entrenched.

For new entrants, breaking into the market in a significant way is fundamentally challenging. However, with the momentum created by the government through initiatives like the India Semiconductor Mission, funding support, and enablement measures, there are promising projects underway. Over the next few years, these initiatives are expected to yield positive outcomes at both the manufacturing and design levels.

Is India doing anything different from other countries to create a semiconductor hub?

India has certain unique strengths that we are leveraging, particularly in chip design. While this capability might not be entirely unique, very few places in the world have the kind of depth and expertise in chip design that India possesses.