Making India a semiconductor hub: Govt forms advisory committee of experts, senior officials & academicians

New Delhi: Taking forward the vision of PM Narendra Modi to make India a global leader in Semiconductor manufacturing, Design & innovation, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has formed an advisory committee of experts, comprising of senior government officials, established academicians as well as industry and domain experts.

The Union Cabinet had recently approved the comprehensive Semicon India programme for the development of a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem in the country on 15.12.21. A specialized and dedicated “India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)” has been set up within Digital India Corporation to drive India’s strategies for developing semiconductors and display ecosystem.

The newly formed Advisory Committee shall steer the objectives in a structured, efficient, and strategic manner, and provide necessary guidance to the ISM executives. It shall also provide insights and suggestions to develop a sustainable semiconductor and Display ecosystem in India. The Committee is mandated to provide key inputs for building a resilient supply chain, promoting investments, financing mechanisms, global engagement, research & innovation, and IP generation for the semiconductors and display ecosystem and enable an ecosystem to support startups and MSMEs.

“Partnership between the Government, Industry and Academia to power the India Semiconductor Mission”, remarked Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The Advisory Committee will be chaired by the Hon’ble Minister of Electronics and IT with the Minister of State, Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) as the Vice-Chairperson. Secretary, MeitY shall be the convenor of the Advisory Committee.

The Advisory Committee consists of the following industry/academia experts;

Shri Vinod Dham: He led Intel’s iconic Pentium microprocessor from inception, an angel investor and venture capitalist Shri Dham has 40+ years of experience in developing semiconductor products and technologies.

Shri Ajit Manocha: Currently the president and CEO of SEMI (an industry association of companies involved in electronics design and manufacturing) Shri Manocha has over four decades of sterling career in the semiconductor industry. He was the CEO of GlobalFoundries (2011-2014).

Prof. Arogyaswami Paulraj: Prof. Paulraj (VSM, AVSM & Padma Bhushan) is the inventor of MIMO wireless communication, a core technology for mobile networks. He has made significant contributions to technology development including founding three national-level laboratories during his 25-year stint at the Indian Navy.

Prof. Pradeep Khosla: An internationally renowned Electrical & Computer Engineer and university administrator, Prof. Khosla has more than three decades of experience in advanced technology development.

Prof. V. Kamakoti: A renowned academician and researcher, Prof. Kamakoti designed India’s first indigenously developed microprocessor ‘SHAKTI’ and is also a Member of the National Security Advisory Board, Government of India.

Shri Neelkanth Mishra: A member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, Shri Mishra is the India strategist & Co-head of Asia Pacific strategy, Managing Director, Global Markets Research at Credit Suisse.

Dr Ajai Chowdhry: Dr. Chowdhry (Padma Bhushan), is one of the six founders of HCL. For the last five decades, he has been at the forefront of helping create the electronics industry in India.

The Advisory Committee shall meet at least once in three (3) months to provide key inputs to develop the sustainable Semiconductor and Display Ecosystem in India. The term of the Committee is one year after which it shall be reconstituted with the approval of the Hon’ble Minister of Electronics and Information Technology.