India's Semiconductor Progress Faster Than Many Expected: NITI Aayog Vice Chairman

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) India has made faster-than-expected progress in building its semiconductor ecosystem but technological sovereignty will be crucial for achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri said on Friday.

On India's semiconductor roadmap, Lahiri said one of the biggest strategic risks facing the country is its growing dependence on imported black-box technologies.

“India has already covered important ground. The India Semiconductor Mission, early investments in design, manufacturing and packaging and deepening partnerships with the US, Japan and Europe have created strong momentum,” he said.

“The progress has been faster than many expected. The next decade will be critical in converting this momentum into a durable national capability,” he added.

He stressed that India's technological sovereignty must begin at the infrastructure layer, with semiconductors forming the backbone of critical sectors such as artificial intelligence, defence, manufacturing, mobility, energy systems, communications and citizen services.

He highlighted that the NITI Frontier Tech Hub roadmap lays out a clear and practical vision for India's semiconductor future.

According to him, the roadmap recognises that India cannot simultaneously compete across every segment of the semiconductor value chain and therefore must focus deeply on selected strategic areas.

"It recognises that India cannot do everything at once and therefore must choose a few strategic priorities and go deep -- whether in design, advanced packaging, compound semiconductors or other emerging opportunities where India can leapfrog parts of the global value chain," he stated.

Lahiri said the focus at NITI Aayog is to translate strategy into action. He noted that the roadmap has been designed with a strong implementation-oriented approach and identifies key priorities for the next ten years, the enabling conditions needed to support growth and the sectors where India can emerge as a global leader rather than remain a downstream participant.

“India has the conviction, capability and urgency to make this happen,” he mentioned.

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