As part of India’s transformation into a leading global economy, prime minister Narendra Modi has set a target for the nation to become one of the world’sby 2029, from a base of almost nothing. With the rise of artificial intelligence and unstable geopolitics creating a global scramble to build domestic chip factories, how likely is it that India can compete?at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign says there are two main drivers for countries seeking semiconductor self-sufficiency.
Even with massive government support, Indian chip factories may struggle to be competitive at first, lacking the efficiencies and scale of a mature industry, charging perhaps twice as much as Chinese alternatives, says Kumar.
is to increase production of 28 nanometre chips, which are used in cars and household appliances rather than computers or smartphones, and rely on manufacturing techniques that date back to the early 2000s. “These are not the sexy chips,” says Kumar. “But there’s a big market.
“It depends on how deep their pockets are and how long a game they play, because that’s the game that Taiwan and South Korea played over the past 20 to 30 years,” says Goodenough. “To play is an expensive, long-term, patient capital game.”