Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India’s march toward semiconductor self-reliance has taken its most credible step yet, as Tata Electronics signs a strategic agreement with the Netherlands’ ASML to support the country’s first front-end wafer fabrication plant.
The 300-mm facility at Dholera, Gujarat, is backed by an estimated $11 billion investment. It is the marquee name in a thickening pipeline: the Union Cabinet has cleared projects taking the approved tally to twelve facilities across six states, with commitments near ₹1.64 lakh crore.
A tie-up with the world’s most important chip-tool maker gives India’s semiconductor dream something it long lacked — credible, front-end firepower.
At a Glance
• Flagship: Tata 300-mm fab, Dholera — ~$11 billion
• Partner: ASML (Netherlands)
• Pipeline: 12 projects, 6 states; ~₹1.64 lakh crore
• Goal: Top-6 chip nation by 2032 (Semicon 2.0)
Under “Semicon 2.0,” India aims to rank among the world’s top six chip nations by 2032 — once aspiration, now a plan. The strategy spans the value chain, from assembly and packaging toward front-end fabrication and, eventually, design.
The constructive priority now is talent and supplier depth: specialised engineering programmes, a domestic base of materials and equipment vendors, and reliable power and water for fabs.
