Thakur says roadmap-based continuity is key to India's semiconductor growth story

India's semiconductor journey is on a "strong" footing, with policy continuity under Semicon 2.0 providing crucial stability to the industry's roadmap, according to Tata Electronics CEO and Managing Director Randhir Thakur.

As India works to establish itself in the competitive global semiconductor space, Tata Electronics — one of the sector's key players — is building the country's first commercial semiconductor fab in Dholera, Gujarat, alongside its first indigenous chip assembly and testing facility in Jagiroad, Assam. The two projects together represent a combined investment of USD 14 billion aimed at serving global customers across critical industries.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of SEMICON India 2026, Thakur emphasised that continuity is central to the semiconductor business, describing it as a roadmap-driven journey. He noted that the government's move to follow up the Semiconductor 1.0 scheme with Semicon 2.0 was encouraging, adding that the company intends to keep reinvesting cash flow into the sector going forward.

On artificial intelligence, Thakur said progress in semiconductor hardware and computing power has been instrumental in enabling AI applications and model development, calling hardware the foundation of the AI boom.

Regarding Tata Electronics' projects in Gujarat and Assam, Thakur confirmed that both the Dholera fabrication plant and the Jagiroad packaging facility remain on track with timelines committed to the government.

He explained that the 16 memoranda of understanding signed by the company during SEMICON India are geared toward building the broader ecosystem needed to support its manufacturing operations — covering equipment, infrastructure, gases and chemicals, and talent development. The Dholera fab alone, he said, would require support from around 450 suppliers, while some partnerships would also serve the Jagiroad packaging unit.

These collaborations, Thakur added, would help Tata Electronics set up equipment and manufacturing lines to begin product qualification for its customers. He noted that several of the partners are Indian companies, reflecting the company's push to build semiconductor manufacturing expertise among India's youth from the ground up.

Reiterating that both projects remain on schedule, Thakur said the country's semiconductor journey looks promising and that the company would continue driving it forward.

Tata Electronics is investing Rs 91,000 crore (USD 11 billion) in the Dholera fab, a 300-mm (12-inch) facility that will manufacture chips across 28nm to 110nm technology nodes for use in automotive, consumer electronics, computing, data storage, wireless communications and AI applications. Separately, the company is investing USD 3 billion in India's first indigenous semiconductor packaging facility in Jagiroad, Assam.