Shillong, june 23: Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, stated on Friday that the three major announcements in the semiconductor sector during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit will result in the creation of a minimum of 80,000 to 1 lakh direct jobs in India. In addition, these investments will generate several thousand indirect jobs within the overall supply chain.
Addressing a press conference, Minister Chandrasekhar highlighted the significant contributions of the electronics industry, which has already created 10-12 lakh jobs in the past two years alone. He emphasized the importance of recent announcements, particularly Micron’s decision to manufacture memory chips in India, considering it a crucial milestone. The minister estimated that these initiatives would lead to the creation of 80,000 to 1 lakh new direct jobs.
Micron Technology, a US-based company, announced its plans to establish a new $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in Gujarat during Prime Minister Modi’s visit. The investment from Micron will reach up to $825 million over two phases and is expected to generate 5,000 new direct jobs at Micron and 15,000 community jobs in the coming years.
Applied Materials, another US-based semiconductor firm, also unveiled its intention to establish a collaborative engineering center in India, with a four-year investment of $400 million.
Furthermore, Lam Research, a US supplier of wafer-fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry, announced a training program in India aimed at upskilling up to 60,000 high-tech engineers.
Minister Chandrasekhar expressed his belief that these developments signify just the beginning of India’s growth as a significant and trusted partner in the global electronics and semiconductor value and supply chain. He highlighted the progress made in the semiconductor sector since Prime Minister Modi’s announcement of the semiconductor vision and the planned investment of Rs 76,000 crore to catalyze and build India’s semiconductor ecosystem over the past 18 months.
The minister emphasized that the recent announcements, covering semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, and high-performance computing, indicate ample opportunities for Indian youth in the technology field. Working alongside US startups and research institutions on a global scale, they will shape the technology of the future in India’s thriving “Techade.”