The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will start setting up Bharat Semiconductor Research Centre from next year in collaboration with the industry and academia, said Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar on October 20. The centre aims to make India a global foundry supplier for semiconductors, packagers and integrated systems from design to products.
A MeitY expert panel has recommended setting up a semiconductor research centre with an initial investment of around $8 billion (about Rs 66,500 crore) over the next five years. The panel submitted its report to the union minister.
Chandrasekhar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision is that Indians should be involved in the leadership of semiconductor research. He added that the proposed research centre will be a global institution in semiconductor research, and become one of the leading semiconductor research institutes in the next 4-5 years.
The minister said that there is a need for the formulation of a long-term strategy for developing a vibrant and sustainable semiconductor research ecosystem including design, chip fabrication, packaging and system research for both industrial and academic domains. Intellectual Property Rights are crucial to the development and manufacturing of semiconductors by companies.
