To bolster the Make in India initiative, the Indian government plans to approve multiple proposals for semiconductor packaging and fabrication plants in the coming weeks, announced IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
The reopening of the application window for fresh fab applications for leading and mature nodes, under the modified semiconductor scheme, was confirmed by the minister in a tweet.
This decision was made after the January 2022 window was closed but later improved to provide equal incentives for mature nodes.
The government has already granted approval to numerous semiconductor design companies and has received proposals for packaging and mature node fabs.
The minister anticipates approving multiple semiconductor packaging and fabrication proposals in the near future, inviting both current and new players to apply across different nodes.
Notably, India recently introduced a production-linked incentive scheme worth Rs 76,000 crore for semiconductors and display manufacturing units.
The initial window for 28-nanometer fabrication plants was open for 45 days in January 2022 but will now remain open indefinitely.
Chandrasekhar stated that the government allocated Rs 1,200 crore to invest in Indian semiconductor design startups, aiming to establish 100 such startups to drive innovation in designs and solutions for both domestic and foreign markets.
The minister also projected that India will soon have a talent pool of 85,000 highly-skilled professionals in the semiconductor sector.
