Cabinet approves semiconductor unit in Uttar Pradesh

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the establishment of one more semiconductor unit under India Semiconductor Mission in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Budh Nagar district. According to officials, the plant that will be set up near Jewar airport in Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) is expected to attract an investment of Rs 3,700 crore.

"Already five semiconductor units are in advanced stages of construction. With this sixth unit, India moves forward in its journey to develop the strategically vital semiconductor industry," an official said.

The unit approved today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet is a joint venture of HCL and Foxconn.

Notably, HCL has a long history of developing and manufacturing hardware while Foxconn is a global major in electronics manufacturing.

The official said that the plant would manufacture display driver chips for mobile phones, laptops, automobiles, PCs and other devices that have a display.

"The plant is designed for 20,000 wafers per month.  The design output capacity is 36 million units per month," said the official.

Notably, the semiconductor industry is now shaping up across the country. World-class design facilities have come up in many states across the country and several state governments are vigorously pursuing design firms.

Officials say that students and entrepreneurs in 270 academic institutions and 70 startups are working on world-class latest design technologies for developing new products. Twenty products developed by the students of these students have been taped out by SCL, Mohali.

As the country moves forward in the semiconductor journey, the ecosystem partners have also established their facilities in India. Applied Materials and Lam Research are two of the largest equipment manufacturers. Both have a presence in India now. Merck, Linde, Air Liquide, Inox and many other gas and chemical suppliers are gearing up for growth of our semiconductor industry.

With the demand for semiconductor increasing with the rapid growth of laptop, mobile phone, server, medical device, power electronics, defence equipment, and consumer electronics manufacturing in Bharat, this new unit will further add to Prime Minister Narendra Modiji’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.