Union Minister of State for Electronics & IT and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar addressed the second day of the three-day SemiconIndia 2023. He said that SemiconIndia Conference 2023 is showcasing India’s growing commitment to the semiconductor industry and spoke about how India is making rapid strides toward achieving its semiconductor ambitions under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership.

The second day of the three-day SemiconIndia 2023 Conference attracted huge participation from the industry, academia and government. In the session on Next-Gen Computing, Shri Balaji Baktha, CEO, Ventana Micro Systems discussed the critical aspects around digital autonomy and sovereign datacenter infrastructure powered by RISC-V. Shri Raja Koduri, CEO, Mihira AI highlighted the future of computing and emphasized the value of time and financial resources for startups.

Panel discussions were organised to deliberate on various pertinent themes, including semiconductor packaging. Shri Gursharan Singh, SVP, Micron Technology; Mr Jeffery Chun, Simmtech; Mr Noboru Yoshinaga, Disco; and Shri Raja Vinay, Air Liquide discussed about the supply chain strategy and roadmap of Micron’s Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) plant in India. The panel led by Dr Hem Takiar, Micron Technology and other esteemed dignitaries – Prof Tummala Rao, Georgia Tech; Dr Surya Bhattacharya, IME Singapore; Shri Devan Iyer, Amkor, and Shri Amrit Manwani, Sahasra shared their views on the importance of packaging research and innovation in driving future performance of semiconductor packaging in India. The panelists highlighted the potential of India in large-scale R&D and how consortia model and industry-relevant research could play a key role.

The deliberations on “Next-generation designs” explored the cutting-edge advancements and future possibilities in the semiconductor industry. Mr Lars Reger, NXP Semiconductors spoke about the growth of autonomous and Electric Vehicles (EVs) in India. He stressed on the fact that software and digital twin technologies are gaining prominence, with a focus on creating modern smartphone-like experiences for charging and driving. Indian unicorns are seen as aspiring partners for NXP, further enriching the innovation landscape.

The panel comprising Shri Anand Ramamoorthy, Micron Technology; Shri Navin Bishnoi, Marvell; Shri Hitesh Garg, NXP Semiconductors; Ms Malini Narayanamoorthi, Renesas; Shri Balajee Sowrirajan, Samsung Semiconductor India R&D Center and Shri Neel Gala, InCore Semiconductors deliberated on how emerging designs are driving the Fab loading. They emphasized the importance of custom computing for AI and data centers and underlined the growth potential in the automotive industry.

The panel discussion on future design and investment opportunities in India steered by Shri Vinod Dham focused on supporting chip design startups to strengthen India’s position in the semiconductor industry. Other participants including Shri Gautam Singh, Fermionic Design; Shri Rakesh Malik, Vervesemi Microelectronics; Shri Deepak Shapeti, Morphing Machines, Shri Jyothis Indirabhai, Netrasemi; Shri Narayana Rao, Accord Software & Systems and Shri Vinayak Dalmia, DV2JS Innovation threw light on the importance of chip design, packaging, testing, and supply chains. The panel discussed the immense potential and opportunities in chip design and semiconductor-related industries in India, with strong government support playing a crucial role in nurturing innovation and growth in this field.

The day also shed light on creating investment opportunities in the Indian semiconductor ecosystem. On this, Shri Gani Subramaniam, Celesta Capital and Shri Sudipto Sannigrahi, Matrix Partners highlighted the historical and current interest in semiconductor startups, while noting the absence of a viable end market in the past. Shri Sateesh Andra, Endiya Partners emphasized that lack of capital is not a hindrance as it follows talent, while Shri Rama Bethmangalkar, Qualcomm Ventures praised the government’s efforts and discussed their hardware accelerator and mentorship programs.

In the Panel Discussion on Roadmap for India Semiconductor Research Centre (ISRC), Shri Mukesh Khare, IBM Semiconductors; Prof Tummala Rao, Georgia Tech; Shri  Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India; Shri Sri Samavedam SVP, IMEC and Shri Surinder Singh, Former Director, SCL deliberated on the roadmap for semiconductor research in India. The vision of ISRC is to establish a world-class research institution driving innovation in advanced semiconductor and packaging technologies, with three components: Academic, Industrial and Volume manufacturing.

The eminent speakers from the semiconductor and electronics industry – Dr Raman Achutharaman of Applied Materials; Shri Sesha Varadarajan, Lam Research; Shri Ahmad Khan, KLA and Shri Prabu Raja, Applied Materials exchanged their views on how India can make a mark in the global landscape and its increasing role in semiconductor equipment innovation and research for resilient semiconductor supply-chain. The speakers emphasized the importance of collaborative problem-solving as the semiconductor industry’s challenges have become increasingly complex.

An insightful session around the theme “Building a sustainable semiconductor ecosystem” was led by Shri Jitendra Chaddah, VP, GlobalFoundries. Industry stalwarts, namely, Mr David Reed, CEO, Vedanta Semiconductors Ltd.; Mr David Krick, Global Solutions Director, Jacobs, and Shri Diganta Sharma, INOX Group also shared their thoughts and acknowledged the government’s support in facilitating the semiconductor industry’s growth and applauded its focus on the sector’s strategic importance. The panelists recognised the capital-intensive nature of the semiconductor industry and the need for investments in infrastructure, technology and human resources to ensure its success in India.

In the session on “Semiconductor Supply-chains for Sustainable Semiconductor Industry”, Shri Srinivas Satya, President & MD, Applied Materials said that in the realm of the global semiconductor manufacturing industry, there has been a remarkable shift towards embracing a sustainable supply chain. Shri Paul Chhabra, VP, Global Supply Chain, Applied Materials spoke about the challenges in developing and nurturing a strong semiconductor supply chain ecosystem, presenting a significant opportunity in India.

In the panel discussion on “Global trends and Innovations in Semi Equipment Supply Chain”, industry leaders from semiconductor equipment supplier companies, namely, Mr Michael Holder, EFF; Mr Jackson Hwang, Foxsemicon Integrated Technologies; Dr Kevin Ressler, Coorstek; and Mr Phil Barros, Ichor deliberated on how to thrive as a successful supplier to semiconductor equipment industry.

During the panel discussion on “Building a sustainable domestic Semiconductor Supply-chain in India”, the focus revolved around understanding what it takes for Indian suppliers to penetrate the semiconductor supply chain effectively. In the panel discussion on “Attracting Global Semiconductor Supply-chains”, industry leaders from semiconductor industry explored factors that should be considered for establishing semiconductor supply chain in India.

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