UPFRONT: Inform. Inspire. Involve.
The story of India is a narrative of exponential ambition, playing out on the demanding stage of Semiconductors.
The microchip is the physical architecture of national sovereignty, digital infrastructure, and industrial capacity. The world is betting trillions on this technology, and India has made a decisive wager on its own capability.
We launch the second edition of India Front, focused on The Silicon Mission, at this pivotal juncture. The national commitment is clear, but success now demands a ruthless focus on execution. We must unpack the single most critical challenge: establishing the high-volume, domestic technological backbone necessary for self-reliance.
To map the definitive blueprint for this mission, we have convened an elite cohort of eleven leaders, led by our cover story featuring Pankaj Mohindroo of ICEA. He outlines the strategic vision required to pivot India from simply consuming electronics to becoming a global manufacturing powerhouse, securing the end-to-end supply chain.
Critical strategic and macro-economic analysis is provided by Dr Arvind Virmani of NITI Aayog. We gain essential insights into the product paradigm from Raja Manickam of IVP Semi, and a deep dive into skill transformation from Jayant Krishna of NSDC. Raghu Panicker of Kaynes Semicon provides the crucial solutions necessary to achieve the zero-defect standard. Dr Danish Faruqui of Fab Economics cuts through the hype with his thesis, Vande Silicon Turns Capital into Capability.
Shari Liss of the SEMI Foundation outlines the path to redefining the workforce architecture for global standards. Kumar Priyadarshi of TechoVedas champions domestic equipment mastery as the final step to true sovereignty. The implementation journey is captured by Mona Khandhar (GoI), detailing the execution masterclass of Fab-ulous Gujarat, while Anil Bhardwaj of FISME maps the path for our Small Giants—the MSME sector—to anchor the supply chain.
Enjoy this edition, and best wishes for the new year.