New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has cleared four semiconductor projects worth a total of Rs 4,594 crore for Odisha, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, Union Information
& Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Tuesday. These projects, approved under the Rs 76,000 crore India Semiconductor Mission, aim to boost domestic chip production by providing financial support for setting up manufacturing facilities in the country. "Cabinet has approved four semiconductor plants that will be set up in Odisha, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh," Vaishnaw said. The minister said that a silicon carbide semiconductor plant will be set up in Bhubaneswar with an investment of Rs 2,066 crore by SiCsem Pvt Ltd. "Silicon carbide is a very robust material and can sustain at high temperatures. Silicon carbide is used in our missiles, satellites, telecom towers, rockets, railway engines, etc,” Vaishnaw said. The minister said that the plant will have a capacity to produce 9.6 crore chips per year. The Cabinet also approved US chip major Intel-backed 3D Glass semiconductor manufacturing unit in Odisha with an investment of Rs 1,943 crore. The plant will be set up by Heterogenous Integration Packaging Solutions Pvt Ltd with an annual production capacity of 5 crore units. The minister said the project will be backed by US firm Lockheed Martin as well. A chip packaging plant in Andhra Pradesh, to be set up by Advanced System in Package Technologies with an investment of Rs 468 crore, was also approved by the Cabinet. It will have a capacity to produce 9.6 crore chips per year. The cabinet also cleared a semiconductor project of electronics component maker firm CDIL. The facility will be set up in Punjab with an investment of Rs 117 crore, having an annual production capacity of 15.8 crore units. The minister said that due to various steps taken by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, the electronics manufacturing sector has grown six times to Rs 12 lakh crore in the last 11 years. He said that electronics exports have grown by 8 times to Rs 3.3 lakh crore and mobile production has increased by 28 times to Rs 5.5 lakh crore. The minister said India will host Semicon India 2025 in partnership with four countries-- Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Korea from September 2 to 4.
