Gandhinagar: In a move set to redefine the state's industrial landscape, chief minister Bhupendra Patel kicked off the Gujarat SemiConnect IESA Vision Summit 2025 on Wednesday and shared a compelling vision to turn Gujarat into a semiconductor hub. Held at the Mahatma Mandir Exhibition and Convention Centre in Gandhinagar, the summit saw a Rs 15,000 crore investment push to build a dynamic local-to-global value chain. The conference was marked by the signing of 10 strategic MoUs that will redefine the state's tech future.

Gujarat’s 109-kilometre Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway is almost finished, with 91 percent of construction completed. This Rs 4,500 crore project was expected to open by the end of January, as per Knocksense. It is being said that this will improve connections between Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, and Dholera, India’s first greenfield smart city. At present, the journey of 169 km between Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar takes more than three hours. The new expressway will shorten this distance to 141 km, cutting travel time to just 1 hour and 45 minutes. The journey between Ahmedabad and Dholera will also be much quicker, dropping from 2 hours 15 minutes to just 40-45 minutes.

Japan K Pathak, Gandhinagar: Dholera will get a fire station, school, hospital, desalination plant, and more in the next couple of years. Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai has, in the annual budget 2025-26, made several provisions to push infrastructure at Dholera. A Rs. 170 crore allocation is made to develop social infrastructure (hospital and school) at the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR). A Rs. 25 crore allocation is made to develop a fire station at Dholera SIR. Sea dredging for land filling at Dholera SPR ( by DCI – Dredging Corporation India) will take place for Rs. 10 crore.

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed that India's first "Made-in-India" semiconductor chip will be launched by September or October 2025. The announcement was made during a press conference in Bengaluru, where Vaishnaw highlighted the government's commitment to advancing the country's semiconductor industry. The chip, developed in collaboration with Tata Electronics and Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC), will be produced at India's first semiconductor fabrication plant in Dholera, Gujarat. This initiative is part of the broader Semicon India program, which was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2021 with a total outlay of Rs 76,000 crore. The program aims to establish a comprehensive semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in India.

AHMEDABAD: Department of Science and Technology Gujarat government has demanded substantial Rs 40,783 crore grants from the government of India (GOI) for the development of semiconductor industry in Dholera SIR region and Sanand near Ahmedabad in next six years. Mona Khandhar, principal secretary, science & technology department informed that, "the objectives of the state government is of robust and sustainable semiconductor and electronics ecosystem in Sanand and Dholera SIR region in next six years."

Dr. Kuldeep Arya (IAS), CEO of Dholera Industrial City Development Limited (DICDL), highlights Dholera's role in driving India's semiconductor ambitions and its potential to become a futuristic industrial hub. Twice the size of Mumbai, the 'smart city' of Dholera is set to host India’s first semiconductor fabrication plant, marking a leap in India’s semiconductor ambitions.

Gujarat's significant cost advantage over international competitors like Vietnam and Malaysia, combined with a business-friendly environment, make it an attractive destination for semiconductor manufacturing, says Mona Khandhar (IAS). A lot can happen in a year, and Gujarat is a prime example. The state has seen three semiconductor units break ground this year. At the helm of this transformation is Mona Khandhar (Indian Administrative Service), Principal Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology in the Gujarat government. She is leading the state's ambitious semiconductor mission.

India is seeking foreign investments for its indigenous semiconductor industry for the development and design of fabs, ATMP, among others. We look at the latest developments impacting India’s semiconductor ambitions.

While the agreement does not specify the financial investment from PSMC, the Taiwanese company is expected to provide design and construction expertise for this greenfield facility. Seven months after the Union Cabinet approved the Dholera semiconductor fab, Tata Electronics has finally signed an agreement with Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) of Taiwan. Although discussions between the two companies had been ongoing, the formal agreement was finalised today.

Tata Electronics is building two additional fabrication plants, known as fabs, in Dholera, Gujarat, according to a report by Mint. This expansion is part of the company’s broad strategy to develop a domestic chip manufacturing ecosystem that caters to increasing international demand, and establishing the company as a strong presence in the global semiconductor industry.