The Tamil Nadu government will unveil a ‘Semiconductor and Advanced Electronics Policy’ during the upcoming Global Investors Meet (GIM), scheduled for January 7 and 8.
Confirming this, a senior government official said these were the sunrise sectors that the State was focusing on and a policy would bring more investments into this space.
According to Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa, the focus was on developing exclusive policies for semiconductors and advanced electronics, underpinning the strategy to become a semiconductor and advanced electronics hub. “A critical part of this strategy is preparing our labour force for industry demands. We produce the highest number of engineers and have the largest R&D [research and development] output in India. Schemes like Naan Mudhalvan are pivotal in training our youth for this sector,” he added.
The Minister further said: “Tamil Nadu, India’s leading electronics hub, is the country’s top electronics exporter, having achieved $5.37 billion in electronics exports last year. This year, we are on track to reach $8 billion. Our next phase involves advancing to high-end design and manufacturing high-value electronics ...”
According to this year’s data from National Import-Export Record for the Yearly Analysis of Trade (NIRYAT), till November 30, 2023 (for the financial year 2023-2024, beginning April 2023), Tamil Nadu’s total exports stood at $5.59 billion. This was nearly 31.51% of India’s total electronics exports for this period, which was $17.74 billion.
The State has also invited Chris Miller, author, Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology — a book that explains how computer chips have made the modern world and how the U.S. and China are struggling for control over this fundamental technology — to address the GIM. “Inviting Chris Miller aligns with our objectives. His presence is meant to energise and inspire our youth, while also fostering meaningful policy discussions in this sector,” Mr. Rajaa added.
Professor V. Kamakoti, Director, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M), highlighted that the State was well-equipped with man power in this space. “IIT-Madras, Anna University and many colleges and universities across Tamil Nadu started the VLSI programme a long time back. There was a special manpower development programme in VLSI, which was launched by the Department of Electronics in 2000-2001. This has come up in a very big way now. There is no dearth of talent,” he said.
