3 more semiconductor plants to start ops this year: Vaishnaw

Three more semiconductor plants will start their commercial operations in the country this year, signifying a historic milestone in India’s journey towards global technology leadership, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday.

“The promise he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) made to the country — that the semiconductor industry had to be brought to India — has been fulfilled. This is the first step,” he said at the Gujarat Semiconnect Conference 2026 in Gandhinagar.

“Very soon, the second plant will also go into commercial production, and after that, two more plants will begin commercial production this year. In other words, four of the 10 approved plants will be inaugurated in 2026,” he added.

Vaishnaw also reviewed the under-construction Tata fab in Dholera. Tata Electronics is constructing India’s first AI-enabled commercial semiconductor fabrication facility (Fab) in the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR), Gujarat, with an investment of Rs 91,000 crore.

India’s semiconductor journey began in 2021 with the launch of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). To support this vision, the government had announced a production linked incentive (PLI) scheme. The country has 10 approved semiconductor projects across six states. Together, these projects represent an investment of about Rs 1.6 lakh crore.

“Time has come to ‘learn to run’ at a good pace, so that Bharat can continue its semicon journey for many years to come,” Vaishnaw said in a post on X.

Semiconductors are at the heart of modern technology. They power essential systems in healthcare, transport, communication, defence and space. As the world moves toward greater digitalisation and automation, semiconductors have become integral to economic security and strategic independence.

The IT minister added that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad ambitious bullet train project is expected to be inaugurated next year.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project (508 km) is under execution with technical and financial assistance from Japan. The project is passing through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, with 12 stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.

The travel time between the two major cities would be a little less than 2 hours, the minister added.