India did right in semiconductors, 20% of global workforce here: Semiconductor Industry Association CEO John Neuffer

ANI April 11, 2025 268 views

India is rapidly emerging as a significant player in the global semiconductor landscape, with 20% of the global workforce already based in the country. The Semiconductor Industry Association's CEO John Neuffer praised India's strategic progress in chip design and manufacturing. Recent bilateral agreements and trust initiatives are creating new opportunities for technological collaboration between India and the United States. The semiconductor sector represents a critical area of potential growth and innovation for India's technological ecosystem.

"India has done a lot right when it comes to our sector." - John Neuffer, SIA CEO
New Delhi, April 11: India is rapidly emerging as a significant player in the global semiconductor landscape, transitioning from a stronghold in chip design to taking steps toward manufacturing according to John Neuffer, President and CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association.

Key Points

1

India's semiconductor workforce expands rapidly

2

Six key manufacturing projects now underway

3

US-India tech collaboration strengthens semiconductor ecosystem

He emphasised that India has "done a lot right" in the sector, noting that 20 per cent of the global semiconductor workforce is already based in the country.

Addressing the 9th Carnegie Global Tech Summit in the national capital on Friday on progress in semiconductors by India, Neuffer said, "India has done a lot right when it comes to our sector. 20 per cent of our workforce is here. We have a core design of our ships. We have a great ecosystem for that. I think we are in a very special moment right now. We have this trust initiative in front of us. We also have a bilateral trade agreement in front of us."

He said, "I think those are two potential vectors for change that can really make a difference as India moves from not just design but also into the manufacturing side of things. India has made some great progress so far. Two years ago, there was really nothing in play. Now there are six important projects in play for manufacturing including the assembly test packaging facility being built."

Meanwhile, Siddharth Mittal, CEO and Managing Director, Biocon Limited who was part of a panel discussion at the Summit noted that spoke about pharmaceutical sector of the US is the biggest market for India and "very price sensitive."

"The US has a great research ecosystem. We have the talent, and India has a good understanding of the entire ecosystem. The US, of course, has a great research ecosystem, and I think that's where I see a first opportunity. How do you join hands to innovate or create joint innovation hubs to do the same thing in a different way? I think there is a connect to China angle because when we talk about national security, when we talk pharmaceuticals, it's because of over-dependency and reliance on China. And when you look at the entire ecosystem of pharmaceuticals, while the EPI is manufactured in India and the US, but India is still dependent 70 per cent on China to procure starting materials or raw materials. So, if we do not address the entire value chain, we will not fix the problem.

He further said, "There is a huge opportunity today. Forty-fifty per cent volumes of the drug consumed by patients in the US comes from India. And I think that already speaks a lot about the partnership that we had over the past four decades informally."

Meanwhile, Rob Sherman, Vice President, Policy & Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, Meta spoke about creating an AI model and said, "If you are making an AI model, and you want to serve a country like India, it needs to understand the Indian data set, Indian language, Indian concepts, so a part of that is creating data sets that can be used, and the Government of India has done heavy work in that."

Speaking about iCET, Sushil Pal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India said, "iCET has one of the most productive bilateral cooperation with the US..."

"I think iCET has been one of the most productive bilateral cooperation with the US. India's first semiconductor plant was with the cooperation from American industry and the production from the pilot facilities have already started. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I think from the main facility as well, it should be starting. Apart from that, not only in the fabrication and packaging space but also in the design space, there has been a massive collaboration and interest being shown by many companies of US origin. If you talk about the whole ecosystem, there again we have a strong participation and interest being shown by companies from the US. It covers the complete spectrum of the semiconductor value chain, the design, fabrication to the terrain building, R&D and all that," he said.

Reader Comments

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Rahul K.
This is such exciting news for India's tech future! We've always had the talent, now we're getting the infrastructure too. Can't wait to see how this boosts our economy and creates more high-tech jobs 🇮🇳💻
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Priya M.
While this is promising, I hope we don't repeat the mistakes of other manufacturing sectors. Environmental impact assessments need to be thorough before setting up these semiconductor plants. Growth shouldn't come at the cost of sustainability.
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Arjun S.
20% of global semiconductor workforce is HUGE! But we need more focus on R&D and innovation rather than just manufacturing. Hope the government's policies encourage homegrown semiconductor IP creation too.
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Neha P.
As an engineering student, this gives me so much hope! Finally seeing India move beyond services to actual high-tech manufacturing. The semiconductor courses at my college have become the most popular this year 😊
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Sanjay T.
The US-India collaboration mentioned here could be game changing. But we need to ensure technology transfer actually happens and we're not just providing cheap labor. Self-reliance should be the ultimate goal.
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Meera R.
Interesting how pharmaceuticals and semiconductors both face similar China dependency challenges. Hope we can build complete ecosystems in both sectors. The talent is definitely there!

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