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Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday presented the Vikram 32-bit processor, the first made-in-India chip, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Semicon India 2025 in Delhi
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The union minister also presented PM Modi with test chips of four approved projects after the latter inaugurated Semicon India 2025 with Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada.
“Just a few years ago, we met for the first time to make a new beginning driven by our Prime Minister’s farsighted vision, we launched the India Semiconductor mission…In a short span of 3.5 years, we have the world looking at India with confidence. Today, the construction of five Semiconductor units is going on at a rapid pace…We just presented the first “Made-in-India” chip to PM Modi…” Vaishnaw said.
“We are living in unprecedented times. Global policy turmoil has created huge uncertainty. In these turbulent times, India stands as a lighthouse of stability and growth. In these uncertain times, you should come to India because our policies are stable,” he added.
What is Vikram 32-bit processor, the first ‘Made in India’ chip?
Developed by the Semiconductor Lab of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Vikram is India’s first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor, qualified for use in harsh launch vehicle conditions.
The fabrication and packaging of the chips have been done at the Semiconductor Hub in Punjab’s Mohali.
Semiconductor company CG-Semi is expected to roll out the first ‘Made in India’ chip from the Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) pilot facility in Sanand, Gujarat. The Narendra Modi government had approved the first proposal for establishing a semiconductor unit in Sanand back in 2023.
Through the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, 23 chip design projects have been sanctioned to support startups and innovators. Companies like Vervesemi Microelectronics are creating advanced chips for defence, aerospace, electric vehicles, and energy systems, showing that India is no longer just a consumer but a creator.
The government of India had launched the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) in 2021. That mission seems to have borne fruit in just three and a half years.
As of the date, the government has approved 10 semiconductor manufacturing projects with a cumulative investment of more than ₹1.60 lakh crore in six states: Gujarat, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh.
Semiconductors are at the heart of modern technology. They power essential systems in healthcare, transport, communication, defence, and space. As the world moves toward greater digitalisation and automation, semiconductors have become integral to economic security and strategic independence.
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