Tata Electronics will inaugurate India’s first semiconductor wafer production utilising mature chip technology, intending to scale to more advanced nodes over time as it develops its domestic production capabilities.
Tata Electronics is set to commence India’s first large-scale semiconductor wafer production based on mature chip technology, representing a more phased approach to developing the country’s chip manufacturing ecosystem, reports The Economic Times.
The company will build chips primarily through 90-nanometre (nm) technology at its new fabrication plant in Dholera, Gujarat, instead of kicking off production with the more advanced 28nm process that had been previously announced.
Industry sources told the publication the shift is due to the practical challenges of building a domestic semiconductor industry from the ground up.
A Tata Electronics spokesman clarified the Dholera plant will ultimately produce chips in the 90nm to 28nm range. “The plan has always been to start with 55nm and 90nm and move to 28nm. 28nm is a significant part of the production,” the spokesman was quoted as saying. Tata has entered into a partnership with PSMC of Taiwan for the venture. PSMC spokesman Eric Tang noted new chip technologies are generally phased, with an initial launch using more mature nodes and later expanding into finer geometries.
The Tata Group has invested billions in chip fabrication and assembly facilities across the country, The Economic Times said.
This also includes a recently approved US$13.3 billion package from the government for semiconductor design, manufacturing equipment and supply chain development on top of a previous US$10 billion support program for semiconductors.
Tata Group chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran had previously cited 28nm as the company’s starting point due to its stability as a technology node before advancing to more cutting-edge chip fabrication. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw now anticipates that commercial operations at the Dholera facility are slated to commence mid-2028.
