First India-made 28-90 nm chip to be rolled out this year: Vaishnaw

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) IT and Electronics Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday announced that the first Made in India semiconductor chip of 28-90 nm will be rolled out this year.

Addressing the CII's Annual Business Summit here, the minister said: "We targeted a particular segment, which has 60 per cent of market volume, using a targeted approach."

"Today we have six units under construction. The first made-in-India chip of 28-90 nm will roll out this year. We started manufacturing in 2022," the minister observed.

In the context of semiconductor manufacturing, smaller nanometer (nm) measurements signify more compact transistor designs, allowing manufacturers to fit more transistors onto a single chip. The 28-90 nm chip is used in automotive, telecom, power, and trains.

Underscoring the importance of the manufacturing sector, the minister said: "Many top economists want us to focus on services. Manufacturing and services are both equally important for the next level of growth. We should increase our work, wherever we get the opportunity. We should have our own IP, product, design and standards."

He also highlighted the positive change that was happening due to Artificial Intelligence (AI). "We have experienced a big change due to AI, and it is here for good," he remarked.

"What the internet did for the world, a similar phenomenon would be brought forth from AI. We should be prepared for that change regardless of industry and sector. AI will bring in a humongous change in our society and industry,” the minister said.

He emphasised the need to have AI models that are trained on Indian culture, nuances, languages, and social norms.

The minister said that one of the first such models is being developed by Sarvam.

Vaishnaw also highlighted the achievements and growth of the Indian Railways, of which he also holds charge as minister.

"We have achieved a major milestone as we have become the second largest cargo carrying railway in the world with the transportation of 1,612 million tonnes of freight, overtaking the US and Russia," he observed.

"Our passenger carrying capacity has also increased substantially. We have reached a level where dreams are being fulfilled and goals are being achieved. We are going in a steady direction in railways, more industries must join," Vaishnaw added.

The Railway Minister further stated that the country’s experiment of bringing startups into the railway sector has proved to be very successful. “We are now bringing a new policy where we can test a new innovative idea and then scale it up based on the results of the test," he added.

--IANS

sps/vd