Semiconductor push: India hosts 20% of world’s chip design engineers; consumption set to cross $120 billion by 2030 – The Times of India

India accounts for around 20 per cent of the world’s chip design engineers, placing it as a key player in the global semiconductor design ecosystem, according to a report by Bastion Research.According to news agency ANI, the report underlined India’s strong position in the global semiconductor chain, noting, “India is already an important piece in the global semiconductor design. You may be surprised to know that approximately 20 per cent of the world’s chip design engineers are based here.”Global technology leaders, including Qualcomm, Intel, Nvidia, Broadcom, and MediaTek have set up large R&D and design centres across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Noida. This strong presence has enabled India to emerge as one of the world’s leading hubs for chip design, as per ANI.Explaining the division of work worldwide, the report said engineers in the United States define the high-level chip architecture, such as deciding the type of chip, its end use, features, and launch strategy. Indian engineering teams, by contrast, take on the critical execution work — translating architecture into logic, simulating and testing chips, optimising performance, writing drivers and firmware, and fine-tuning electronic design automation tools. The report stressed this was not a “boss versus worker” setup but rather complementary roles between US and Indian teams.The Bastion Research findings also noted India’s policy push to strengthen its semiconductor ecosystem. The government launched the Semicon India Programme in 2021 with incentives worth around Rs 76,000 crore to attract global manufacturers.India’s semiconductor consumption is projected to rise sharply. “We consume about $24 billion worth semiconductors and it is expected to rise to upwards of $100-120 billion by 2030. When India starts to produce those chips, our share will definitely rise,” Sandeep Kumar, CEO of L&T Semiconductor Technologies and chairman of the Semiconductor Product Leadership Forum, was quoted as saying by ANI.The Forum, launched by the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), aims to build an ecosystem for product design, IP creation, and high-value innovation. It is targeting the launch of around 100 new companies by 2035, expected to absorb nearly five lakh workers, including a large number of engineers.Meanwhile, India recently rolled out its first domestically produced chip at CG Semi’s Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Sanand, Gujarat. Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who inaugurated the facility last week, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will “soon” dedicate the country’s first chip produced there.The government has so far approved 10 semiconductor manufacturing projects worth over Rs 1.60 lakh crore across six states. Work is also underway on Semicon 2.0, the next phase of India’s semiconductor mission.