India Should Aspire to Be Among Early Leaders in Emerging Tech: Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi on Thursday, a day after asserting that India should aspire to be among the early leaders in emerging technologies.

The three-day conference and exhibition, to be held from September 17 to 19 under the theme “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem,” will bring together Indian and international companies, policymakers, investors, researchers, start-ups, academic institutions and students from across the semiconductor and electronics value chain.

Chairing a semiconductor roundtable with leading CEOs on Wednesday, Modi said the government was committed to providing a predictable and responsive policy environment. He also emphasised the importance of close collaboration between the government and the semiconductor industry in shaping India’s technological future.

The Prime Minister highlighted India’s strong foundation in talent, technology adoption and infrastructure and called for greater industry participation in skilling, innovation and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Noting the significant progress made in the semiconductor sector, Modi said the ecosystem was moving from foundational efforts to a phase of greater scale and opportunity.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to providing a predictable and responsive policy environment, while emphasising that policies must evolve in line with technological advances and industry requirements.

Modi invited industry leaders to suggest policy and administrative measures and assured them that their inputs would be considered while further strengthening the sector. He also encouraged them to participate actively in the next phase of India’s semiconductor growth.

In a post on X, Modi said: “During this evening’s semiconductor roundtable with CEOs, I emphasised: unequivocal support to the semiconductor industry from the Centre; a predictable and responsive policy environment; continued focus on skilling, innovation and infrastructure upgradation; and furthering every effort towards making India a leader in emerging technologies.”

Referring to the target of training one crore people in AI, Modi said India’s talent pool, combined with the experience and capabilities of global industry leaders, could create significant opportunities.

The CEOs appreciated the government’s sustained efforts to develop India’s semiconductor capabilities and noted the progress made in manufacturing, design, infrastructure and talent development.

They expressed confidence in the opportunities emerging under the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and in the country’s potential to build capabilities across the semiconductor value chain, including manufacturing, research and development, advanced technologies and supporting industries.

The industry leaders said the progress achieved in recent years had created a strong foundation for greater industry participation. They also expressed their commitment to contributing to India’s emergence as a globally competitive semiconductor and technology hub.

The meeting was attended by CEOs, heads and representatives of several organisations, including SEMI, Micron, Infineon, Applied Materials, ASML, Merck, Tokyo Electron Limited, Fujifilm, AMD, Intel, Tata Electronics, Lam Research, Rapidus, NXP, Foxconn, Semiconductor Devices, Advantest, Celesta Capital, CG Power and IBM Research.

On SEMICON India 2026, the PMO said: “The conference will focus on advancing collaboration, investment, innovation and talent development in India. Parallel sessions will cover advancements in the display industry, six country roundtables designed to facilitate collaboration and joint ventures, and a forum on women’s leadership, among other subjects.”

The event will adopt a comprehensive value-chain approach, covering semiconductor materials, equipment and chip design, fabrication, advanced packaging, electronics and systems.

A new “Sand to Silicon to Systems” Value Chain Experience will showcase the various stages of the semiconductor ecosystem.

More than 600 companies are expected to participate in the event, which is likely to attract about 50,000 visitors. Representatives from 52 countries, more than 400 executives and over 150 speakers are expected to attend.

The exhibition will include six country pavilions representing Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore and Sweden. It will also feature 12 state booths, a start-up pavilion, an innovation showcase, a student hackathon and a workforce-development pavilion.