India Launches Semiconductor Mission 2.0 to Boost AI Chips

The Government of India is advancing its semiconductor and artificial intelligence ambitions through the India Semiconductor Mission and the newly announced Semiconductor Mission 2.0. These initiatives focus on developing sovereign capabilities and facilitating the design of AI-based chips, marking a strategic shift from chip design toward full-scale manufacturing.

Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology S. Krishnan announced that Micron Technology is expected to begin the country's first commercial-scale semiconductor production by the end of February 2026. This milestone follows the approval of 10 projects under the national mission. To further support AI infrastructure, the government is underwriting compute access for students, startups, and researchers at approximately Rs 65 per GPU hour.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The event, running from February 16 to 20, includes 13 international country pavilions to showcase India's emerging role in the global hardware and AI ecosystem.