Govt clears 4 chip plants in Punjab, Andhra, Odisha at cost of Rs 4,594 cr

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday okayed four semiconductor projects — one each in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh and two in Odisha — under the Centre’s semiconductor mission.

The proposals approved were from Continental Device India Pvt Ltd (CDIL) in Mohali, SiCSem, 3D Glass Solutions Inc and Advanced System in Package (ASIP) Technologies. The chip units will be set up at a cost of Rs 4,594 crore.

The CDIL will expand its discrete semiconductor manufacturing facility in Mohali. The proposed facility will manufacture high-powered discrete semiconductor devices such as MOSFETs, IGBTs, Schottky bypass diodes and transistors, both in silicon and silicon carbide.

The annual capacity of this brownfield expansion will be to the tune of 158.38 million units.

The devices manufactured by these proposed units will have applications in automotive electronics, including electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure, renewable energy systems, power conversion applications, industrial applications and communication infrastructure.

With these four approvals, the number of total approved projects under the semiconductor mission has now reached 10 with cumulative investments of around Rs 1.60 lakh crore in six states.

The SiCSem and 3D Glass projects will be set up in Odisha while the ASIP project will be set up in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the country was set to witness the rollout of its first made-in-India chip “very soon” as six semiconductor plants were already under construction in Gujarat, Assam and Uttar Pradesh.

Emphasising the government’s resolve for easy accessibility to artificial intelligence (AI) technology, he said, “The AI is shaping our world today. The government’s vision is that technology should be accessible to all and not be limited to a few. That’s why we have conducted the India AI mission in which 34,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) are available today as a common compute facility for all our innovators.”

The Cabinet also cleared the extension of the Lucknow Metro line at a cost of Rs 5,801 crore with the aim of enhancing urban mobility and catering to the growing transportation needs of city residents.

It also approved Rs 8,146.21 crore for the construction of the Tato-II Hydro Electric Project in Shi Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh. The project is estimated to be completed in six years.

The project, with an installed capacity of 700 MW (4 x 175 MW), will produce 2738.06 MU of energy. The power generated from the project will help in improving the supply in Arunachal Pradesh and also in balancing the national grid.

The project will be implemented through a joint venture company between North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd and the Arunachal Pradesh Government. The Centre will extend a budgetary support of Rs 458.79 crore for the construction of roads, bridges and an associated transmission line, besides a financial assistance of Rs 436.13 crore towards equity share of the state.