Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged global semiconductor equipment and component manufacturers to explore opportunities in India, saying the country has established the foundation for advanced technologies including compound semiconductors and silicon photonics.
Addressing the fifth edition of SEMICON India 2026 at Yashobhoomi, Modi said India was implementing wide-ranging reforms to strengthen domestic capabilities and develop reliable supply chains in the semiconductor sector.
He said the need for new manufacturing hubs had grown as global supply chains face increasing challenges, and highlighted India’s efforts to emerge as a dependable partner in critical industries.
“The semiconductor industry is facing numerous challenges. Amidst these challenges, the world is in dire need of new and reliable manufacturing hubs, and I say this with full responsibility. I assure you that India is continuously preparing itself for this role,” the Prime Minister said.
Modi said the government was working towards building capabilities spanning chip design, manufacturing and assembly, while strengthening the ecosystem for emerging technologies.
“From the manufacturing of various compound semiconductors to integrating silicon photonics into the ecosystem, all of this is essential for AI-enabling infrastructure, and we must move forward together in this direction. The necessary foundation for this has already been laid,” he said.
Calling on equipment manufacturers to participate in India’s semiconductor growth, Modi said, “I urge the leaders of equipment companies present here not to miss these opportunities.”
He also highlighted the government’s semiconductor-skilling programme, saying the target was to train one lakh engineering students for the industry, with more than 70,000 already trained. He encouraged Indian researchers and students working overseas to contribute to advanced technology development in the country.
Referring to the recently concluded BRICS Summit, Modi said the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration reflected India’s growing global credibility.
“India successfully concluded the BRICS Summit. The adoption of the New Delhi Declaration with everyone’s support is one more piece of evidence of India’s global credibility. And SEMICON India being held amid such major achievements is another significant milestone,” he said.
SEMICON India 2026 is being held from September 17 to 19 under the theme ‘Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem’, bringing together stakeholders from India’s semiconductor and electronics sectors.
