The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has announced the detailed rules for Semicon 2.0, a major expansion of India’s semiconductor push. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw released notifications covering all six pillars of the scheme, which will support chip design, manufacturing, equipment production, assembly, research and workforce development. The move aims to position India as a significant player in global semiconductor markets.
What Semicon 2.0 covers
The scheme operates through six main pillars:
- Design: Support for semiconductor intellectual property, chips and systems-on-chips for national priorities and commercial use, including incentives for deployed designs
- Machines and Materials: Support for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem
- Fabs: Setting up silicon wafer factories, compound semiconductor facilities, photonics and sensor fabs, and display manufacturing units
- Assembly and Testing: Strengthening facilities for semiconductor assembly, testing, marking and packaging
- Research and Development: Support for advanced semiconductor technology research
- Talent Development: Building India’s engineering workforce in semiconductors
Individual projects under the scheme can run for up to six years. The India Semiconductor Mission will manage applications, evaluations and implementation. Applications will remain open for three years initially. The Ministry will provide budgetary support for eligible projects.
According to the Minister, India trained 85,000 semiconductor engineers over four years against an original ten-year target, and has now set a goal of developing one lakh additional engineers. Students from smaller cities have already designed over 250 semiconductor chips. The scheme is expected to create between 50,000 and 60,000 direct jobs.
What this means for you
If you work in semiconductor design, manufacturing or related fields, new funding opportunities are now open through defined categories. Students and engineers seeking to enter the semiconductor industry will have expanded training and employment prospects. A mid-term review after three years will determine whether the scheme continues or requires modifications.