New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) India has started a new semiconductor industry and that lithography, which involves printing the circuit on the wafer, is the most complex and precision-intensive process in the entire semiconductor manufacturing chain, according to the government.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Dutch multinational company ASML is the world’s leading provider of lithographic tools and added that ASML enables practically every chip manufactured in the world.

“Our fab in Dholera will be using ASML equipment. So, I have come here to visit and understand their technology,” Vaishnaw said as he visited the headquarters of ASML in Veldhoven, Netherlands.

Vaishnaw said that ASML coming to India would be a significant development.

Several equipment manufacturers from across the world are now looking to establish a base in India due to the country’s design capabilities, large talent pool, and the consistent policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he emphasised.

On semiconductors, the Minister said that pilot production has commenced in several approved facilities, with commercial production expected to begin shortly.

In Davos, He emphasised that the government is proceeding in a careful and methodical manner to build a robust semiconductor ecosystem and strengthen India’s long-term capabilities in this critical sector.

“Commercial production is set to begin shortly at one of the four semiconductor plants where pilot production has already commenced, with the first plant expected to start production in February,” Vaishnaw informed.

He described this as a major milestone achieved after six decades of effort, reflecting the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong focus on building foundational technologies.

With a strong and mature electronics ecosystem now in place in the country, the time is right for India to develop its own indigenous mobile phone brands.

India is also expected to see its own mobile phone brands emerge within the next 12 to 18 months, the minister noted.

–IANS

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