Ashwini Vaishnaw urges IT industry to tap semiconductor opportunity

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the global semiconductor industry faces a talent shortage of one million and urged India's IT sector to seize the opportunity. He highlighted progress in semiconductor manufacturing, electronics exports and railway infrastructure development

Hyderabad: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the talent shortage in the semiconductor industry is estimated at one million globally, and the IT industry in the country should seize the opportunity.

Speaking at an interaction with IT industry representatives, he said that because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focused push for the semiconductor industry, 12 plants are now at different stages of development, and three of them have started manufacturing chips.

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The chips are being exported to Japan, the US and Europe, he said.

“People say the talent shortage in the semiconductor industry is of the order of one million globally,” the Union IT and Electronics Minister said.

The opportunity can be seized by the IT industry in the country in a big way, as it knows how to design and develop entirely new solutions in electronics and IT, he said.

To support the industry, the Centre has provided the most advanced semiconductor design tools to 315 universities, he said.

He said electronics exports have become the third-largest export category in the country, while mobile phones have become the country’s largest export item.

“Last year, electronics exports became the third-largest export category in our country, which we could never even have imagined a few years ago. That change has already happened,” he said.

Highlighting the Centre’s initiatives in the railways, such as bullet trains, station redevelopment and Vande Bharat trains, Vaishnaw, who also holds the Railways portfolio, said the railways are transforming, with over 1,000 stations being redeveloped.