Chris Miller, the acclaimed author of Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology, shared thought-provoking insights at an event organised by the Government of Telengana. His keynote focused on India’s potential to become a global leader in the semiconductor and electronics ecosystem, leveraging its vast domestic market and maturing expertise in chip design and assembly.
Miller emphasized a key distinction between India and countries like Taiwan and South Korea, which have historically dominated the semiconductor industry. While these countries had to rely on exports due to their smaller domestic markets, India enjoys the advantage of a growing domestic market.
“It seems to me that if you’re thinking about products, what natural type of product to focus on would be a product that is unique or fairly unique to the domestic market. That could give you space to begin growing, scaling, and eventually turning to the global market,” Miller said.
He pointed out that India’s journey in building its semiconductor design expertise has been a decades-long effort, reaching a stage where the ecosystem has matured significantly. With a growing pool of experienced professionals, India is poised to address the product and scaling challenges within its ecosystem.
India’s Advantage in Software and Hardware Collaboration
Miller also highlighted India’s strength in software development as a key differentiator. He noted the potential for greater collaboration between India and countries like Taiwan and South Korea, particularly in integrating software expertise with the global electronics manufacturing supply chain.
“India has the market, the scope for new products, and the software expertise that other countries wish they had developed but haven’t yet been able to,” he added.
Additionally, India’s increasing presence in the assembly process, marked by Apple’s decision to assemble devices in the country, demonstrates its rising prominence in the global electronics manufacturing sector.
Statement by MOSart Labs CEO
“India stands at the cusp of a transformative era in the semiconductor industry. As highlighted by Chris Miller, our nation’s unique combination of a vast domestic market and exceptional software expertise positions us to lead globally. At MOSart Labs, we are committed to nurturing talent and fostering innovation through programs like our VLSI initiative in collaboration with IIT Bhubaneswar. Together, we can empower the next generation of tech leaders and propel India to the forefront of the semiconductor revolution.”
– Rajesh Gupta, CEO, MOSart Labs
The Road Ahead for India
To fully capitalize on its unique strengths, Miller advised India to focus on products tailored to its domestic market while gradually scaling to the global stage. He underscored the importance of developing an integrated ecosystem that combines software expertise with manufacturing capabilities, allowing India to play a more significant role in the global semiconductor landscape.
