https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202637001019
Semicon India 2021 and Beyond: A Strategic Policy Analysis for Defence and Space Technology Leadership
1 Research Centre Imarat, DRDO, Hyderabad, India
2 Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune, India
* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published online: 29 May 2026
Abstract
The semiconductor industry has emerged as backbone of the global digital economy and enabler of modern defence and space technologies, where secure and high-performance chips are vital. As India strives toward a $5 trillion economy with strategic autonomy and defence-space export driven growth, semiconductors have been placed at the core of national priorities through the Semicon India Programme launched in 2021. This paper presents a strategic policy analysis of India's semiconductor trajectory, highlighting the design and implementation of Semicon India 2021 and its interlinkages with the defence and space sectors. It examines key programme components such as schemes for establishing semiconductor fabrication units (fabs), Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP)/Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facilities, and mechanism for design-linked incentives, to assess their capacity to bridge technology gaps faced by ISRO, DRDO, and DPSUs. Building on this evaluation, the paper proposes a roadmap for steering India towards global leader in key sectors- semiconductor, defence, and space technology by 2035.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2026
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
