NITI Aayog is pushing India to lead in 2D material-based semiconductors, aiming to break free from dependence on silicon and licensed technologies as global rivals race ahead.
NITI Aayog has called for an early push in the development of two-dimensional (2D) materials for semiconductors, stressing that India must seize leadership instead of playing catch-up in the global technology race. The recommendation comes in the fourth edition of NITI Aayog’s Future Front Quarterly Insights report.
2D materials, around eight lakh times smaller than the tip of a pencil, are 200 times stronger than steel and conduct electricity more efficiently than copper. With the potential to replace silicon in semiconductor manufacturing, they could enable chips ten times smaller than the smallest currently in production.
BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, said, “You need to invest in people, R&D, in creating supply chains and finally products and manufacturing. I think we need to create the entire ecosystem for 2D. We missed the bus in semiconductor, and today we are playing the catch-up game.” He added, “We are catching up fast. The question is, do you want to be the catch-up person, or do you want to be the, I lead the pack? If you lead, you have a first-mover advantage. You dominate the sector.”
Global leaders such as the USA, China, Japan, and South Korea are already investing heavily in 2D material research. Debjani Ghosh, Chief Architect, NITI Frontier Tech Hub, noted, “In tech, you lead if you set standards, otherwise, you follow… If silicon was the bedrock on which the Semicon landscape of yesterday and today is defined, then 2D material is gonna be the bedrock on which the Semicon landscape of tomorrow will be defined.”
Professor Mayank Shrivastava of IISc Bangalore cautioned against reliance on licensed technology. “The path is very clear, you want to become a technology leader, you invest in future tech, own intellectual properties, and then you manufacture using home-grown technology.”
To support this vision, the Ministry of Electronics and IT and the Department of Science and Technology have invited interest for research and product development using 2D materials.
