Government initiatives on AI, semiconductor manufacturing and skill development will make India global technology hub: Meity

In 2024, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched several initiatives aimed at advancing India’s digital landscape. Focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor manufacturing and skill development will strengthen India’s position in global technology and make transformative innovations more accessible to the masses.

According to the Ministry of Electronics and IT, under the Semicon India programme, several important proposals were approved, indicating India’s commitment to becoming a global semiconductor hub.

Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd (TEPL) got approval to set up a semiconductor fab facility with an investment of Rs 91,526 crore in partnership with Taiwan’s PSMC. Capable of producing 50,000 wafer starts per month, the facility represents a technological leap forward for India.

TEPL also got approval for an OSAT facility with an investment of Rs 27,120 crore, which aims to produce 48 million units per day using indigenous packaging technologies.

CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd was approved for another OSAT facility worth Rs 7,584 crore with a daily production capacity of 15.07 million units in a joint venture with global partners.

Keynes Technology India Limited (KTIL) got approval to set up OSAT facility in Sanand, Gujarat at an investment of Rs 3,307 crore, which aims to produce 6.33 million chips daily.

The IndiaAI mission has made significant progress with initiatives such as the National AI Portal (INDIAai), the joint venture of MeitY, NeGD and NASSCOM. The portal serves as a central repository for AI-related news, research, startups, and resources, hosting over 2,800 articles, 472 startups, and 184 government initiatives.

MeitY also launched the AIRAWAT project, providing AI computing infrastructure for research and innovation. Claiming 200 petaflops of scalable AI computing power, AIRAWAT ranked 75th in the top 500 global supercomputing list, highlighting India’s growing strength in AI.

The ministry constituted an inter-ministerial committee to promote domestic robotics ecosystem focusing on research, design and manufacturing.

India’s leadership in AI was strengthened through its active role in the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI). Serving as the incoming Council Chair in 2023 and Lead Chair in 2024, India hosted the 6th GPAI Ministerial Council meeting in New Delhi with an emphasis on ethical and inclusive AI development.

The revamped Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) scheme gained momentum with projects in several states.

An EMC in Divetipalli, Telangana is expected to attract investments worth Rs 10,574 crore, creating 19,164 jobs.

Tamil Nadu’s EMC in Sriperumbudur is expected to bring in an investment of Rs 8,737 crore and generate more than 36,000 jobs. Mysore, Karnataka, will host an EMC with an investment of Rs 1,560 crore and employment for 19,500 people.

Nine additional projects worth Rs 7,960 crore were also approved under the SPECS scheme, further boosting India’s semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.

Aiming to provide digital literacy to six crore rural households, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) successfully trained 6.39 crore individuals by March 2024.

With increasing smartphone usage and internet penetration, the program has increased digital engagement in rural areas to a great extent.

Additionally, two new schemes for skill development in Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector were launched to meet the demand for skilled professionals and promote innovation in the electronics industry.