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India's semiconductor industry has reached a historic milestone, recording a pace of growth never seen before. Speaking during the opening ceremony of SEMICON India 2025 on Tuesday, Ajit Manocha, President and CEO of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), described the moment as both "exponential" and "unprecedented," underlining the country's rapid rise in the global semiconductor landscape.
Manocha recalled his remarks from the Noida event a year ago, when he first introduced the concept of exponential growth inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to Moore's Law. This year, Manocha added a new dimension to the narrative, introducing the word "unprecedented" to capture the scale and speed of progress. "Continue the path of unprecedented exponential growth in India and in the industry," he urged, underscoring India's role as a semiconductor hub. He highlighted that while exponential growth was already visible in industry projections, the unique geopolitical challenges of today make India's rise stand out. "What is unprecedented is the geopolitical issues. They are so different... but we cannot be bogged down by any of those issues, and we need to keep going on this financial path in an unprecedented way," he said. Manocha highlighted ecosystem building as a key factor behind India's surge. He emphasized that without a robust ecosystem, companies would be hesitant to bring major projects to the country. SEMICON, he noted, has been instrumental in enabling such ecosystems worldwide, and India is no exception. The results are visible in the numbers: last year, SEMICON India hosted around 650 exhibitor booths; this year, the figure nearly doubled to 1,300, with participation from 48 countries. The pace is striking when compared to global peers. "It took the Semicon in the US 14 years to come to the 1,300 mark level. And it took China 13 years. India, in two years, we are at 1,300 booths. That is unprecedented exponential growth," Manocha said. Looking ahead, Manocha emphasized that semiconductors are "foundational to humanity" and that India must stay committed to growth while also building supply chain resilience. With the global semiconductor industry projected to double to USD 1.3 trillion within the next seven years, and potentially surpass USD 2 trillion in the next 15, he said the country has both the opportunity and responsibility to remain on track. (ANI)
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