The term Silicon Shield is generally used for the Taiwanese semiconductor industry, which accounts for 90 per cent of the world’s advanced chips. These chips serve as a deterrent to potential Chinese invasion, highlighting the strategic importance of semiconductor chip technology. It is the heart and brain of all modern electronic products and information and communications technology.
Meanwhile, India aspires to be a semicon hub, targeting the expected USD 100.2 billion Indian semiconductor market by 2032 as per Custom Market Insights. Although it has already surpassed the USD 27 billion market size but Shetal Mehta, Founder, Suchi Semicon, believes that India is still in the developing stage.
He added that right now India is in the development stage, where semiconductor factories are coming up. In 2026-27, it would be in the ramping-up stage and 2028 or 2029 would be a time where it would achieve the establishment stage.
Bridging The Skills Gap
The skills gap within the semiconductor workforce remains a pressing concern. Recently A report by TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship warned about a serious skills shortage in India's semiconductor industry, predicting a deficit of 250,000 to 300,000 professionals by 2027. Mehta experienced the same, therefore his company is in collaboration with Gujarat Technological University and Sardar Vallab National Institute of Technology for Workforce Training.
He stated, “For semiconductor manufacturing, there is no such of course that exists.” To address the issue right now, Suchi Semicon is doing industry training for this kind of course for a very short one, probably 14 days, and three months to develop this skill set.
Addressing The Quality Gap
India's semiconductor industry is facing vast challenges, including supply chain and infrastructural bottlenecks essential for manufacturing to talent gap and vast capital as it is a capital-intensive industry. Establishing fabrication plants requires a high capital investment, which is not an easy case for many companies including India. Anyhow if India manages all these elements still it will have to compete with countries like Taiwan and South Korea which dominate 80 per cent of the market.
Mehta pointed out that while his company has a robust quality assurance team, a quality gap persists across the Indian semiconductor sector as India is still in the developing stage. As more institutions introduce semiconductor courses, Mehta believes these gaps will gradually close.
Phased Approach To Production
To build credibility and showcase its capabilities, Suchi Semicon is adopting a phase-wise approach of production. In the first phase, it will focus on legacy devices, allowing the company to showcase its competence. As Mehta said, “We want to establish our name and quality first.” As the customer trust grows, the production lines will be expanded to include more advanced technologies in future phases, added Mehta revealing Suchi Semicon’s future strategy.
Sustainable Approach
The semiconductor industry demands the use of large quantities of hazardous chemicals, such as hydrochloric acid, toxic metals, and volatile solvents, which have their environmental risks. While managing these concerns may add complications and cost to semiconductor production. With rising environmental degradation, it is a matter of concern, especially when the semiconductor industry is facing rising scrutiny over its environmental impacts.
However, Mehta was optimistic about his company. He said that Suchi Semicon is committed to implementing green practices in its processes, aiming to minimise electricity and water usage. “We do not have any environmental or sustainable kind of issues on us,” he added.
India adopted the Indian Semiconductor Mission with a vision to build a vibrant semiconductor and display design and innovation ecosystem to enable India’s emergence as a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design in a more structured, focused, and comprehensive manner through various mechanisms. It is essential to overcome talent shortage and ensure quality with prioritising research and development.
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