India to host 2nm chip design as ARM expands in Bengaluru: Ashwini Vaishnaw

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (file image)

Union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on September 16 said that some of the world’s most advanced chips — powering AI servers, drones and mobile phones — will be designed in India, with ARM’s new Bengaluru unit set to work on 2 nanometer chips.

Why is ARM’s move significant?

“ARM will be designing even two nanometer chips here in this unit in Bengaluru. So congratulations to ARM and the entire team,” Vaishnaw said at the inauguration of the company’s new office.

How far has India’s semiconductor mission progressed?

The minister said the mission, launched in January 2022, has taken a long-term view of building a complete ecosystem. “Today we have 10 units under construction — two fabs and eight outsourced semiconductor assembly and test units. One of them, CG Semi, has started pilot production. Another two units will start pilot production very soon,” he noted.

Is the supply chain coming to India?

The minister said most ecosystem partners — from chemicals to substrates — are now setting up facilities in India. “Whether the 500-odd chemicals and 50-odd gases which are required in fabrication, they are all coming to India. They have set up partners, they are setting up facilities here. Substrate manufacturers have also come, and the ecosystem is taking good shape,” he said.

What’s next under Semiconductor Mission 2.0?

Looking ahead, Vaishnaw said the next phase will go beyond chips to also focus on equipment and materials. “In Semiconductor Mission version 2.0, we’ll be focusing seriously on the equipment which goes into manufacturing chips, and the materials which go into manufacturing chips,” he said.

“Net-net, we are looking at the complete semiconductor stack — design, manufacturing chips, manufacturing the equipment that manufacture chips, manufacturing the materials that manufacture chips, and a complete talent pipeline,” the minister added.