SEMICON India 2026: PM Modi Urges Youth To Drive Advanced Technology Development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday highlighted India’s extensive engineering talent and urged young professionals to contribute to the development of advanced technologies.

Key Takeaways

While inaugurating SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi, PM Modi highlighted the growing emphasis on specialised chip-design training and said the government has set a target of preparing one lakh engineering students for the sector, with 70,000 already trained.

“Such a large talent pool is, in a way, nothing less than a gold mine for all of you,” the Prime Minister told the gathering.

PM Modi urged Indian researchers working domestically and overseas to bring their expertise towards the development of advanced technologies in India. He further asked industry leaders to strengthen domestic research and development while creating greater opportunities for young Indians.

“There is benefit for the industry in this, and the youth power of India will also get strength from this,” asserted PM Modi.

The Prime Minister outlined the semiconductor sector’s progress from initial policy discussions and project planning to pilot production and commercial manufacturing. He said Indian-made chips have begun reaching customers in domestic and international markets, while two new plants in Mohali and Surat have started commercial production.

“Now our chips, coming out of India’s plants, have started reaching customers in the country and the world,” he mentioned.

PM Modi credited industry leaders for helping India rapidly build capabilities in chip design, equipment manufacturing and testing.

PM Modi highlighted the $13.5 billion second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission and pointed to regulatory reforms designed to encourage collaboration between international companies, start-ups and design firms. He stressed the importance of developing fabless companies, strengthening intellectual property and incorporating silicon photonics into AI-focused infrastructure.

PM Modi urged companies working with equipment, chemicals, gases and materials to use the opportunities created by the 12 approved projects and rising demand.

“We want the entire ecosystem to grow together,” asserted PM Modi.