JNS: India is on track to unveil its first domestically produced semiconductor chip by the end of this year, marking a significant milestone in its growing electronics manufacturing sector. Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, made the announcement, highlighting the rapid strides India is making in hardware manufacturing, particularly in semiconductors.
Traditionally known for its software leadership, India is now establishing itself as a major player in semiconductor production, with five plants under construction. Vaishnaw emphasized that the government’s “Make in India” initiative is propelling the country into the global electronics spotlight.
In his address, Vaishnaw also discussed India’s digital and AI advancements, including initiatives to democratize AI access through a new Common Compute facility offering over 18,000 GPUs at a subsidized rate. This is aimed at supporting startups, researchers, and academia in developing AI applications, including large language models (LLMs) and problem-specific AI solutions. The government is also curating large-scale anonymized datasets to train AI models and improve their accuracy, particularly in sectors like agriculture and traffic management.
India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), comprising platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, and DigiLocker, has gained global attention for its public-private approach. Vaishnaw noted that AI integration into these platforms has enhanced efficiency in financial transactions and governance, with global interest in replicating India’s model, as seen during the G20 Summit. Japan has even granted a patent to India’s UPI system, underscoring its scalability.
The Minister also pointed to AI-driven innovations at Mahakumbh 2025, where AI tools optimized crowd management, and the multilingual AI chatbot Kumbh Sah’AI’yak assisted with translations and real-time updates. These efforts set new standards in AI-enabled event management.
Vaishnaw stressed the importance of India’s workforce in driving the digital revolution, citing the addition of a Global Capability Center (GCC) every week. The National Education Policy 2020 is also ensuring that university curricula are aligned with emerging technologies like AI, 5G, and semiconductor design.
In terms of AI governance, the government is adopting a pragmatic approach, investing in safeguards against cybersecurity threats, deepfakes, and privacy risks while fostering innovation. Vaishnaw reiterated that India aims to use technology for inclusive growth while maintaining a responsible regulatory framework.
