New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Electronics manufacturing in India is expanding rapidly with new suppliers and design capabilities emerging every week, Union Minister for Railways and Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said on Monday. He added that the sector, driven largely by small and medium enterprises, is set to become one of the largest sources of employment in the country in the coming years. “Electronics manufacturing ecosystem is expanding. Every week new suppliers, mostly small and medium enterprises are developing,” Vaishnaw stated. In a post on X, Vaishnaw said that fresh designs and advanced manufacturing processes are being developed regularly, making India’s electronics ecosystem more competitive.

“Design capabilities are growing. New designs and manufacturing processes are emerging,” the Union Minister said. “Over the next few years, electronics manufacturing will emerge as one of the major employment sectors in Bharat,” he added. The comments come at a time when India is moving from being just an assembly hub to building advanced design and chipmaking capabilities. Earlier this month, Vaishnaw inaugurated ARM’s new semiconductor design office in Bengaluru, which will focus on developing 2 nanometre chip technology -- a significant step in India’s semiconductor journey. According to the government, a 2 nm chip is being designed in India for the first time.

Such technology is crucial for next-generation devices in artificial intelligence, mobile computing and high-performance systems. Smaller transistors not only mean greater efficiency and reduced power consumption, but also carry strategic importance for national security, space exploration and defence applications. The India Semiconductor Mission, with an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore, is driving the effort to build a robust ecosystem. So far, 10 projects worth Rs 1.6 lakh crore have been approved across six states. In addition, domestic startups supported under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme have already advanced 23 chip design projects, while 72 companies are using cutting-edge design tools.