SEMICON India 2026: From Silicon to Systems, India’s Semiconductor Journey on Display

Key Highlights:

• The fifth edition of SEMICON India 2026 was held from September 17-19, 2026, at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, with the theme "Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem."
• The event showcased India's expanding semiconductor capabilities from chip design to manufacturing, packaging, research, and talent development.
• Semicon 2.0, approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2026 with an outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore, focuses on six strategic pillars for ecosystem development.
• Under the Semicon India Programme, 12 semiconductor projects worth over ₹1.64 lakh crore have been approved across six states, with three facilities already commencing commercial production.
• Indigenous developments include C-DAC's AUM HPC-AI Processor and 64-bit RISC-V processor, and InCore Semiconductors' RISC-V processor IPs.
• The Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme and Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme support domestic chip design and talent development, onboarding over one lakh engineers.

Detailed Insights:

• SEMICON India 2026 brought together global industry leaders, policymakers, investors, academia, and start-ups, featuring over 600 exhibiting companies.
• The exhibition highlighted indigenous semiconductor and computing capabilities, including high-performance computing (HPC) and AI.
• Indian start-ups and companies showcased application-specific chips for smart appliances, electric mobility, drones, connectivity, and surveillance.
• The open RISC-V architecture is crucial for strengthening India's homegrown processor design and semiconductor technologies.
• The convergence of semiconductors and artificial intelligence was a prominent feature, with companies like Netrasemi showcasing AI-capable System-on-Chips (SoCs) for secure surveillance and robotics.
• The event emphasized the entire semiconductor value chain, including materials, equipment, testing, packaging, and system integration.
• The ChipIN Centre, under the C2S Programme and DLI Scheme, has provided advanced chip-design tools and services, leading to over 300 chip designs for fabrication.

Key Concepts Involved:

• RISC-V: An open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) for processor design, enabling custom and indigenous chip development.
• System-on-Chip (SoC): An integrated circuit that combines all components of a computer or other electronic system onto a single chip.
• Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme: A government initiative to provide financial incentives and design infrastructure support for indigenous chip design.
• Semicon India Programme: An overarching government initiative aimed at developing a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem in India.