India roundup: India's semiconductor ambitions expand from AI power management to supply-chain localization - digitimes

India's semiconductor industry is experiencing comprehensive growth, with strategic focus expanding across multiple key areas. The country is actively developing AI-driven power chips to meet the grow... Read original →

India’s push into AI power chips and EV battery semiconductors is less about immediate tech leadership and more a strategic play for supply chain sovereignty amid global fragmentation. Technically, this will accelerate domestic EDA, advanced packaging, and wide-bandgap material ecosystems—but sub-7nm capabilities remain out of reach for years. Policy mandates for local sourcing risk inflating capex for foreign foundries, potentially delaying ramp-up; over-reliance on subsidies could replicate Southeast Asia’s ‘policy bubble’ pitfalls. TSMC and Samsung may engage only via limited JVs, while Chinese firms might use India as a backchannel to circumvent Western export controls. Over the next 18 months, India’s realistic edge lies in mature-node power ICs and automotive MCUs—not cutting-edge AI chips—positioning it as a geopolitical buffer in the West’s de-risking strategy, not a true alternative hub.