The pilot line starts with 0.5 million/day for customer qualification
The ₹7,600 crore OSAT plant will eventually produce 15 million chips/day
India has the opportunity to bridge talent gap in the chip industry, Vaishnaw said
The first Made in India chip is expected to come out of CG Semi's pilot line in Gujarat's Sanad, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday.
He expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the first chip to the nation soon. The minister was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of CG Semi's OSAT facility.
"CG Semi's chip facility is expected to get completed by 2026 and achieve its full capacity by 2027," the minister said when asked about the timeline of the project.
The Rs 7,600 crore OSAT facility will produce 15 million chips per day. However, the pilot line inaugurated by Vaishnaw today will produce 0.5 million chips per day.
"Pilot line chips are crucial as these are used to qualify for customers. Once the chips are qualified, commercial production for those customers can start" the minister said.
So far, four chip facilities have been approved to set up in Gujarat, of which 3 are located in Sanand and one in Dholera.
Vaishnaw also raised the issue of talent gap in the semiconductor space.
He said India has the opportunity to bridge the talent gap in the semiconductor industry and the Indian government has partnered with about 278 universities to address the issue.
The Centre has provided these universities with some of the latest semiconductor tools, sourced from companies like Siemens and Cadence, the minister said.
He said that these tools have been used for over 1.2 crore hours. Through this, about 20 chips have been designed by 17 institutions that have been taped out at a semiconductor facility in Mohali.
"According to experts, there is going to be a shortfall of 1 million semiconductor professionals," he said, adding that India has identified this as an opportunity and is addressing the issue through partnerships with universities.
CG Semi's OSAT facility is among the 10 chip plants approved under the central government's India Semiconductor Mission.
So far, four chip facilities have been approved to set up in Gujarat, of which 3 are located in Sanand and one in Dholera.
