India aims to nurture 200 chip-design startups and expand semiconductor workforce

At the three-day Semicon India 2026 exhibition in New Delhi, Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined the government's Semicon India 2.0 initiative, which seeks to bring at least 200 chip-design startups into the domestic ecosystem. The plan follows the first phase that engaged 105 startups and allocated roughly Rs 800 crore in venture capital. With a Rs 1.275 lakh crore budget approved by the Union Cabinet, the scheme is organized around six pillars: design, equipment and materials, fabs, advanced packaging, research and development, and talent development.

The R&D pillar will emphasize industry-academia partnerships for applied projects, while the talent pillar will expand training for technicians and factory-floor workers to support new fabs. The event, hosted by the India Semiconductor Mission, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and SEMI, showcased over 600 exhibitors and highlighted India's shift from isolated fabs to a broader semiconductor ecosystem.