Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with global semiconductor leaders in New Delhi today to discuss scaling India’s chip manufacturing capabilities. The dialogue focused on the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and the nation’s transition toward an advanced 'Silicon to Systems' value chain, ahead of the SEMICON India 2026 event.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a high-level roundtable with top executives from global and domestic semiconductor powerhouses on September 16, 2026, in New Delhi. The meeting brought together leadership from companies including Micron, Intel, Applied Materials, ASML, Tata Electronics, AMD, and Foxconn to discuss the next phase of India’s semiconductor growth. This gathering served as a precursor to the SEMICON India 2026 conference, scheduled to begin on September 17.
The discussion highlighted a strategic shift in the government’s approach under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0. Rather than focusing solely on basic assembly, the government is now aiming for a 'Silicon to Systems' value chain. This strategy prioritizes advanced chip design, fabrication, and research in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing. For the industry, this signals a government intent to move beyond foundational infrastructure and into large-scale industrialization.
A key theme during the roundtable was the government’s commitment to providing a predictable policy environment. Semiconductor manufacturing is a sector that requires massive, long-term capital investments, and industry players often cite policy stability as a major factor for their expansion decisions. By emphasizing this, the government is attempting to remove potential administrative bottlenecks that could otherwise delay or discourage large foreign direct investments.
From an investor perspective, the development underlines the government's long-term bet on high-tech manufacturing. However, the sector comes with inherent risks that remain important for observers to understand. Semiconductor manufacturing is notoriously capital-intensive, requiring billions in spending before a facility reaches full operational capacity. These projects have long gestation periods, meaning it often takes years for investments to show returns in the form of meaningful profit or revenue.
Additionally, building a robust ecosystem requires more than just money; it needs a steady pipeline of specialized talent. The government’s focus on training a large workforce for AI and quantum computing roles is a direct response to this need, but the success of these programs will be a key factor in how quickly the industry can scale. Global supply chain vulnerabilities also persist, making it essential for India to build resilient, full-stack capabilities to compete effectively with established global hubs.
Investors and industry watchers will now look to the upcoming SEMICON India 2026 event, which runs from September 17 to 19, for further details on specific project timelines, new investment commitments, and updates on the progress of current facilities. The effectiveness of the ISM 2.0 in moving from policy pledges to on-ground production will be the primary metric for tracking the success of this sector in the coming years.