Semicon India 2.0 aims to focus on a minimum of 200 startups and firms developing chips in India, while also generating a new workforce of 100,000 semiconductor technicians and other skilled professionals, stated Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The objective expands on the initial stage of the government's semiconductor initiative, during which 105 startups took part and approximately 20 secured venture capital financing amounting to around Rs 800 crore, he states.

Semicon 2.0, sanctioned by the Union Cabinet in July with a budget of Rs 1.275 lakh crore, is organized around six key areas: chip design, semiconductor machinery and materials, fabs, advanced packaging, research and development, and workforce development.

The second pillar will center around machines and materials. Vaishnaw mentioned that the USD 5 billion investment revealed at the event would aid in creating jobs in India.

The third pillar will concentrate on establishing additional fabs, including silicon semiconductor wafer fabs, compound semiconductor and photonics facilities, as well as sensors and display fabs. The fourth will enhance India's ATMP and OSAT ecosystem, incorporating advanced packaging capabilities.

“We already have a 3D packaging unit coming up in Odisha,” Vaishnaw says.

The fifth pillar will emphasize research and development, featuring initiatives designed to meet advanced industry needs by fostering closer partnerships between businesses and educational institutions.

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“This will be fully driven by the industry and academia, absolutely working in harmony and in synchronization. It won't be an isolated kind of R&D. It will be a very applied kind of R&D that we would be looking at,” he says.

The sixth pillar will emphasize talent development, as the government now allocates more focus on the technicians and factory-floor workers required with the growth of semiconductor manufacturing in India. Vaishnaw stated that Semicon India 1.0 aimed to train 85,000 design engineers over a decade, but the goal was reached in just four years.

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Vaishnaw stated that the new talent pool will be directly hired in semiconductor plants being set up in India and will also add to a global workforce of skilled individuals. In August, the government announced that India had successfully reached its goal of training 85,000 semiconductor engineers in four years, rather than the originally planned 10-year period. It has now established a goal of training an additional 1 lakh engineers.

Semicon India 2.0 aims to enhance the semiconductor ecosystem created during the initial phase of the program and broaden India's competencies throughout the value chain. Under Semicon India 1.0, the government sanctioned 12 semiconductor initiatives. According to the government, three of those units have now started commercial production.

SEMICON India 2026, taking place from September 17 to 19 at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi, focuses on the theme “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem.” The three-day event is collaboratively arranged by the India Semiconductor Mission, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and SEMI, the worldwide semiconductor industry association.

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The event gathers over 600 exhibitors, featuring 300 global companies, in addition to more than 150 speakers and delegations from more than 40 nations. The exhibition covers over 15,000 square meters and features national and regional pavilions, alongside specific programs for startups, students, and workforce enhancement.

The event highlights India's advancements in the initial phase of the semiconductor program, as the government aims to transition from establishing standalone manufacturing plants to developing a more comprehensive, integrated semiconductor ecosystem.