India ready to rev up chipmaking

WHEN Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared India’s “late entry” into the global semiconductor race, he pinned hopes on pioneers such as Vellayan Subbiah to create a chip innovation hub.

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The chairperson of CG Power, who oversees a newly commissioned semiconductor facility in western India, is seen as one of the early domestic champions of this strategic sector in the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

“There has been more alignment between the government, policymakers, and business than I've ever seen in my working history,’ Subbiah, 56, said.

“There's an understanding of where India needs to go, and the importance of having our own manufacturing.”

As US President Donald Trump shakes global trade with tariffs and hard-nosed transactionalism, Modi has doubled down on self-reliance in critical technologies.

New Delhi, which flagged its push in 2021, has this year approved 10 semiconductor projects worth about $18 billion in total, including two 3-nanometre design plants, among the most advanced.

Commercial production is slated to begin by the end of the year, with the market forecast to jump from $38 billion in 2023 to nearly $100bn by 2030.