9. Launch of 2 nm Semiconductor Chip: A Leap for India\'s Chip Mission

In a landmark event for India\'s high-tech landscape, Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw launched Qualcomm\'s 2 nm (nanometre) semiconductor chip design in Bengaluru on February 7, 2026. This achievement marks India\'s transition from a \'back-office\' service provider to a global leader in advanced semiconductor engineering, housing tens of billions of transistors on a single die for next-generation AI, compute, and systemlevel technologies. • Technological Milestone: The 2 nm chip design, featuring integrated CPU and GPU architectures, represents the cutting edge of global semiconductor technology, offering up to 30% improved energy efficiency and nearly 45% faster processing speeds compared to 5 nm nodes. • Shift to \'Design in India\': The tape-out of this chip was led by Qualcomm\'s largest engineering workforce outside the US, located in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. It signifies India\'s capability to handle the \'end-to-end\' process—from product definition to final silicon validation. • Launch of ISM 2.0: Building on the foundations of India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 1.0, the government announced ISM 2.0 with a refined focus on three pillars: nurturing local design startups, establishing a complete ecosystem (equipment, chemicals, and gases), and deepening the talent pool with high-end capabilities. • Strategic Talent Pipeline: Under ISM 1.0, 67,000 engineers have already been trained across 315 universities. Students now use advanced EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools to design and tape out chips, positioning India to bridge the global gap of 1 million semiconductor professionals. • Ecosystem Maturity: With 10 units currently under construction and 4 in pilot production, India is moving beyond legacy 28 nm nodes. The roadmap aims to reach 7 nm and eventually sub-5 nm fabrication to ensure technological sovereignty. • Fifth Industrial Revolution (Industry 5.0): The Minister emphasized a \'co-creating and codeveloping\' model where industry-academia synergy drives deep-tech innovation, ensuring India provides high-value solutions to the global community rather than just assembly services.• Nanometre (nm) Node: Refers to the size of transistors on a chip; smaller nodes (like 2 nm) allow more transistors to be packed together, leading to higher performance and lower power consumption. • Tape-out: The final stage of the semiconductor design process where the artwork for the integrated circuit is sent to the fabrication facility (foundry) for manufacturing. • EDA Tools: Software used for designing and simulating complex electronic systems like integrated circuits and printed circuit boards. • ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging): The \'backend\' of semiconductor manufacturing where wafers are cut into individual chips, tested, and packaged for use in devices. Constitutional & Legal Provisions • Article 51A(h): Fundamental Duty to develop \'scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform,\' which underpins the push for indigenous deep-tech. • National Policy on Electronics (NPE 2019): Aims to position India as a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) by encouraging domestic value addition. • Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: Legal framework providing financial incentives for largescale electronics manufacturing and semiconductor fabs in India. • Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme: Provides financial and infrastructure support to domestic startups for semiconductor design. Additional Key Points • Investment Surge: Projections suggest that committed and proposed investments in AI data centers alone could exceed $200 billion in the coming months, anchored by the semiconductor push. • Sovereign IP Repository: ISM 2.0 proposes creating a repository for Indian Intellectual Property (IP) in sectors like networking, RF (Radio Frequency), and power management to reduce licensing dependencies. Conclusion The 2 nm chip milestone is a testament to India\'s maturing \'deep-tech\' ecosystem. By moving from legacy manufacturing to cutting-edge design under ISM 2.0, India is not just participating in the global supply chain but is actively shaping its future. The fusion of a massive talent pool with strategic government policy is transforming the \'Viksit Bharat\' vision into a tangible reality in the semiconductor domain. UPSC Relevance • GS Paper III (Economy): Industrial policy, indigenization of technology, and the role of the semiconductor industry in achieving a $5 trillion economy. • GS Paper III (Science & Technology): Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, and Robotics; the significance of nanotechnology in modern electronics. • GS Paper II (Governance): Government policies and interventions for development in the Electronics and IT sectors.