Union Minister Vaishnaw urges IT industry to capitalise on global semiconductor talent shortage

Hyderabad, Jul 11 (PTI) Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the talent shortage in the semiconductor industry is estimated at one million globally, and the IT industry in the country should seize the opportunity. Speaking at an interaction with IT industry representatives, he said that because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's focused push on the semiconductor industry, 12 plants are now under different stages of development, and three of them have started manufacturing chips. The chips are being exported to Japan, the US and Europe, he said. “People say the talent shortage in the semiconductor industry is of the order of one million globally,” the Union IT and Electronics Minister said. The opportunity can be seized by the IT industry in the country in a big way, as it knows how to design and develop entirely new solutions in electronics and IT, he said. To support the industry, the Centre has provided the most advanced semiconductor design tools to 315 universities, he said. He said electronics exports have become the third largest export category in the country, while mobile phones have become the largest exported item from India. “Last year, electronics exports became the third largest exported category in our country, which we could never even have imagined a few years ago. That change has already happened,” he said. The electronics manufacturing industry is growing at a double-digit compound annual growth rate, and has crossed Rs 13 lakh crore. It is expected to reach Rs 20 lakh crore soon, he said. The industry currently employs around 25 lakh people, he added. Observing that the Centre's support for electronics manufacturing in Telangana has been "huge", he said 104 electronics manufacturing companies are operating in the state, and four large manufacturing clusters have also been sanctioned. Highlighting the Centre's initiatives in railways such as bullet trains, station redevelopment and Vande Bharat trains, Vaishnaw, who also holds the Railways portfolio, said the railways are transforming, with over 1,000 stations being redeveloped. He said the first section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project would be launched next year, followed by other sections in a phased manner. Hyderabad is the biggest beneficiary of the bullet train corridors sanctioned in the country, with three of the seven corridors set to connect the city, he said. PM Modi has made Hyderabad a hub for bullet train projects — Hyderabad-Pune, Hyderabad-Chennai and Hyderabad-Bengaluru, he said. The bullet trains are being designed and manufactured in India, making the country a key player in the global bullet train ecosystem, he added. He said the largest bullet train network would be in southern India, connecting Hyderabad, Chennai, Amaravati, Pune and Bengaluru. The network would bring about a major transformation in the economies of these states, he said. Vaishnaw also held a round-table interaction with industry representatives, during which he called upon the Indian IT industry to transform itself from a software-services-led model to an "AI as a Service" model. He said this shift should leverage India's trusted global reputation and skilled talent pool. He said the country's next phase of growth will be driven by artificial intelligence, semiconductors, electronics manufacturing and advanced infrastructure, all aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. Observing that artificial intelligence has fundamentally transformed the IT industry, he said every new AI model brings new capabilities and opportunities. He highlighted that India's greatest strength lies in the trust it has earned globally by understanding industries, identifying problems and delivering effective technology-driven solutions. Emphasising the need for a strategic shift, Vaishnaw said the Indian IT industry must move beyond the Software-as-a-Service model and evolve towards offering AI as a Service. He said this transformation should be driven through close collaboration between industry and academia. Referring to recent initiatives, he said NASSCOM, in partnership with the government, has developed a comprehensive AI curriculum which has been shared with the Ministry of Education and AICTE to ensure students receive exposure to the latest developments in artificial intelligence. Later, Vaishnaw and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy visited the Medha Bogies Factory at Kondakal and Medha Servo Drives Private Limited on Fab City Road. They reviewed manufacturing operations, assessed technological capabilities and safety preparedness, interacted with officials and employees, and inspected key facilities ahead of the commissioning phase, a press release said. Speaking to reporters, Vaishnaw said many railway components are now designed and manufactured in India and exported to countries like France, Germany, the US and even Japan. This includes complex electronics and propulsion systems, which are the heart of any railway system, he said. This is a major achievement for the country, and the quality of many of the components is world-class, which is the only way to establish the country in the global market, he said. PTI SJR GDK SJR SSK