NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the three-day SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi on Thursday, bringing together global semiconductor companies, policymakers, investors, technology firms and industry leaders as India showcases its expanding semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.
The event will be held at Yashobhoomi in Dwarka under the theme “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem.” The focus reflects India’s expanding ambition to move beyond electronics assembly and develop a broader ecosystem covering semiconductor manufacturing, design, supply chains, talent and technology.
According to a government communique, the event will feature more than 600 exhibitors and 300 international companies across 15,000 square metres. More than 150 speakers are expected to participate, while six country pavilions and 12 state pavilions will showcase different aspects of the semiconductor ecosystem.
The event will also feature a startup showcase, a student hackathon, a workforce development pavilion and a women’s forum.
Why semiconductors matter
Semiconductors have become a foundational component of the global economy. Chips are used in smartphones, automobiles, drones, aircraft, MRI machines, satellites and defence systems, among numerous other applications.
The global electronics industry is currently valued at around US$4.3 trillion, according to the government statement, with semiconductors forming a critical foundation for sectors ranging from automobiles and healthcare to defence and telecommunications.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of semiconductor supply chains when automobile manufacturers and other industries faced disruptions because of chip shortages.
The government statement said countries that had previously depended heavily on external semiconductor supplies began accelerating efforts to establish domestic manufacturing capabilities.
India’s electronics manufacturing expansion
India’s semiconductor ambitions build on the rapid expansion of its electronics manufacturing sector over the past decade.
According to government data cited in the communique, India’s electronics production increased from around Rs 1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs 13.11 lakh crore in 2025-26, representing nearly a sevenfold increase.
Electronics exports also rose from approximately Rs 38,000 crore to Rs 4.24 lakh crore during the same period.
The mobile phone industry recorded an even sharper expansion. Mobile phone production increased from around Rs 18,000 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 6.27 lakh crore in 2025-26, while exports climbed from approximately Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 2.59 lakh crore.
Smartphones were not among India’s top 100 exported goods in 2014. By FY 2025-26, however, smartphones had become India’s largest exported commodity, ahead of petroleum products and gems and jewellery, according to the government statement.
India now manufactures approximately 99.2 per cent of the mobile phones used domestically, while the country has shifted from being a net importer of mobile phones to a net exporter.
The electronics manufacturing ecosystem currently supports around 2.5 million jobs, the statement said.
India has also emerged as the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world by volume, with electronics manufacturing providing a foundation for the country’s semiconductor ambitions.
India’s semiconductor ambitions gain global dimension
India’s semiconductor strategy is also increasingly connected to international technology and supply-chain partnerships.
The government statement said that on the fifth day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, India formally joined the Pax Silica coalition, alongside the United States and other partner nations.
The coalition focuses on strengthening the global silicon supply chain, covering areas ranging from critical minerals and semiconductor fabrication to advanced artificial intelligence systems and deployment infrastructure.
According to the statement, the broader objective is to reduce excessive concentration in critical supply chains and strengthen access to technologies considered strategically important.
Against this backdrop, SEMICON India 2026 is expected to provide a platform for India to showcase its semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, discuss investment opportunities and highlight the wider ecosystem being developed around chip production.
