The conference was graced by Ms. Tulika Pandey, Scientist ‘G’ & Group Coordinator, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, as the Guest of Honour. Shri Madhvendra Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI); Ms. Sheetal Chopra, Director, National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), MeitY, as the Special Guests and other esteemed panelists from the industry and academia.

Addressing the august gathering, Ms. Tulika Pandey highlighted that semiconductor sovereignty today extends beyond manufacturing capabilities to encompass trusted technologies, resilient supply chains, secure digital infrastructure and indigenous innovation. She emphasised that the Government of India, through the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and the recently announced ISM 2.0, is creating a comprehensive ecosystem covering semiconductor design, fabrication, packaging, testing, research, innovation and advanced manufacturing. Calling upon industry to transition from technology adopters to technology creators, she stressed the need for greater participation in global standards, advanced materials, emerging technologies and ethical innovation. She further highlighted that MSMEs, startups and innovators will play a defining role in shaping India’s semiconductor future and reiterated that close collaboration between government, industry, academia and the skilling ecosystem is essential to realize the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Highlighting the critical role of talent development, Ms. Sheetal Chopra stated that human capital remains India’s greatest strategic advantage in the global semiconductor landscape. She noted that while fabrication facilities and manufacturing investments are important, India’s long-term competitiveness will depend on building a highly skilled workforce capable of contributing across the semiconductor value chain from the very first day. She highlighted NIELIT’s expanding role in strengthening India’s semiconductor talent ecosystem through its nationwide network of 56 centres, specialised programmes in semiconductor design, VLSI, embedded systems and emerging technologies, along with flagship initiatives such as the Centre of Excellence in Chip Design, Noida, the e-Chip Hub national learning platform and upcoming Centres of Excellence in Assam and Gujarat. She emphasised that democratising access to advanced technology education across Tier-II, Tier-III cities and aspirational districts will be instrumental in creating a globally competitive semiconductor workforce.

Shri Madhvendra Singh emphasized that semiconductor sovereignty has become a strategic imperative for India’s economic growth and national security. He noted that India’s semiconductor ecosystem is witnessing unprecedented momentum with 13 approved semiconductor projects, cumulative investments exceeding USD 20 billion, and a domestic semiconductor market projected to reach nearly USD 130 billion by 2030. He highlighted that this rapid expansion would require nearly 400,000 semiconductor professionals and approximately 1.5 million skilled workers across the broader semiconductor value chain. Stressing that MSMEs will be the backbone of component manufacturing, testing, packaging and precision engineering, he highlighted ESSCI’s initiatives in developing industry-aligned occupational standards, specialised curriculum, Centres of Excellence, apprenticeship programmes and faculty development to create a globally competitive semiconductor workforce.

Presenting the industry’s perspective, Shri Karan Mangla, Co-Chair, Foreign Trade & Investment Committee, PHDCCI, and Promoter & Director, S H Haryana Wire, stated that India has made remarkable progress in establishing the foundations of a robust semiconductor ecosystem through the approval of 13 semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and the rollout of ISM 2.0. He emphasised that the country’s next priority must be to translate policy momentum into large-scale manufacturing by accelerating infrastructure development, ensuring cleanroom readiness, strengthening power and water infrastructure, and streamlining regulatory approvals. Stressing that semiconductor sovereignty cannot be achieved without a resilient domestic supply chain, he highlighted the indispensable role of MSMEs in component manufacturing, specialty materials, precision engineering, cleanroom consumables and allied industries. He further called for dedicated vendor development programmes, stronger industry-academia collaboration, manufacturing clusters and demand-side support to enable Indian enterprises to emerge as globally competitive players in the semiconductor value chain.

Welcoming the distinguished delegates, Dr. Jatinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General, PHDCCI, stated that semiconductors have emerged as the foundation of economic resilience, technological leadership and national security amid evolving geopolitical dynamics and global supply chain realignments. He said the conference was conceptualised to provide a common platform for policymakers, industry, academia and MSMEs to develop a shared roadmap for indigenous semiconductor design, fabrication, packaging and advanced manufacturing while identifying critical gaps in skilling, infrastructure and investments. Stressing the indispensable role of MSMEs in the semiconductor value chain, he said PHDCCI remains committed to supporting industry through policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement.

The conference also featured two high-level technical sessions titled “Building India’s Semiconductor Workforce: ISM 2.0 Training Mandate & Industry-Ready Talent” and “From Policy to Production: ISM 2.0, Manufacturing Scale-Up & Indigenous Design.” The sessions witnessed extensive deliberations on semiconductor manufacturing, indigenous chip design, talent development, advanced packaging, research and innovation, investment opportunities, MSME integration and supply chain resilience. Experts emphasised that sustained collaboration among government, industry, academia, research institutions and startups will be crucial for positioning India as a trusted global hub for semiconductor design, manufacturing and innovation.

The conference concluded with a strong consensus that India’s semiconductor ambitions must be driven by policy stability, accelerated investments, world-class infrastructure, a robust skilling ecosystem and a vibrant MSME network. Participants reaffirmed that by combining indigenous innovation with strategic partnerships and talent development, India is well-positioned to emerge as a leading global destination for semiconductor manufacturing and technology, contributing significantly to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047.

India is gaining momentum for extensive EV adoption, and the country’s policies are rapidly being defined and aligned to match that ambition. Yet among all the dimensions being debated, including incentives, tariffs and manufacturing mandates, one area stands above the rest when viewed through the consumer’s lens: the establishment of an efficient, effective and robust public charging infrastructure, including the deeply complex question of grid stability. Range anxiety remains an important concern from end users’ point of view, and while technologies that help increase range are steadily evolving, having an extensive, affordable and reliable public charging infrastructure would be a genuine piece of mind and a true catalyst for accelerating EV adoption to meet the 2030 goals laid down by the Government of India.

The scale of the challenge is stark. As of now, the scale of charging infrastructure is much less than what is currently required or envisaged for the near future, and whatever is available also isn’t reliable for high uptime. As a ball park, India needs almost 50x of charging stations compared to what it has today and that too highly reliable ones. Strengthening this has to be an outcome of several dimensions, requiring close coordination and policy alignment between equipment manufacturers, charging point operators, energy distribution companies and ministries like the power ministry and road transport and highway ministry, alongside policy think tanks and innovative technology companies that can leverage contemporary technologies like AI/ML, big data and analytics. Technology intervention is a must to create the required intelligence that can build a nationwide, data-driven intelligent ecosystem, one that is able to offer a countrywide integrated and reliable public charging infrastructure.

Underneath the charging network lies an equally urgent question: who makes the components? One of the major bottlenecks for the Indian industry has been its heavy reliance on imported semiconductors. With a major transition towards EV adoption underway, the need for such components will be extensive, be it for batteries, Battery Management Systems (BMS), EV electronic components, public charging infrastructure or smart grids and smart metering, just to name a few. Unless these needs are majorly fulfilled by local manufacturers, this could lead to a massive surge in imports. Localization and semiconductor manufacturing will therefore play a very critical role in the success of the EV market and EV future as a whole. It is something that must be taken up in a mission critical mode. It will help reduce import dependencies as well as drive affordability. The government is already providing the required help and working in close association with the industry for making India a global hub for chip manufacturing in the near future.

None of this, however, will matter if the vehicles themselves aren’t safe. Thermal management and battery safety are the very basic and very important aspects that are a must for accelerating EV adoption. India witnessed some odd incidents of EVs catching fire in the recent past. While such incidents have happened with fossil fuel-run vehicles also, anything new that is coming up causes more concern and draws higher attention. Utmost attention in terms of policies, manufacturing, quality control and operational and charging safety needs to be institutionalized at all levels to eliminate any such problems that can be a speed breaker in EV adoption. At a policy level, the government has already mandated strict norms like AIS-156, which focus on battery safety, thermal management and more reliable battery management systems. At a field level, more attention needs to be paid in terms of do’s and don’ts, proper training for safety, battery handling, charging, replacing, over-loading and short circuits in a more formalized and safe manner, instead of a ‘jugaar mindset’.

Taken together, charging infrastructure at scale, domestic semiconductor capability and uncompromising battery safety form the foundation of something far larger: India’s credible bid to become a global hub for EV manufacturing and innovation by 2030. An added advantage is that India is already a preferred global hub for automobile manufacturing. The entire ecosystem being envisioned through government-driven policies in terms of chip manufacturing, battery-related innovations, EV production, power sector reforms and infrastructure growth can surely take India closer to this goal. A lot is happening at the global level too on these subjects, which can be considered as macro-level environmental risks. Localization, innovation and efficient execution will be the critical factors to accomplish this target and the way the EV momentum is going, it is a high possibility that India turns out to be exactly that.