Hand Holding Start-Ups In Chip Design To Boost Output : Daily Current Affairs

Relevance: GS-3: Infrastructure

Key Phrases: Digital India RISC-V programme (DIR-V Programme); Shakti and Vega Microprocessor; ₹76,000 crore Semicon India Programme.

Context

  • Minister of State For Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar launched the Digital India RISC-V programme.
  • The government aims to work with start-ups to help them design and develop semiconductors and enable mass production in partnership with global manufacturing majors.

Key highlights

  • By 2023-24, commercial roll out of the first indigenous chipsets and future generation of microprocessors under the above programme is expected.
    • This will meet the surging demand in semiconductors in the automotive, mobility and computing segments.
    • The government expects at least a few companies will adopt their product designs to DIR-V products Shakti and Vega before 2023-24.
      • When the silicon is ready, they can start manufacturing and incorporating chips in the products.

The Story So Far

  • Using open source architecture two microprocessors have been developed.
    • Shakti (32 bit) by The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and
    • Vega (64 bit) by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC)
  • Administrative appointments in the DIR-V programme.
    • Professor V. Kamakoti (IIT-Madras director) has been appointed as the chief architect and
    • CDAC-Thiruvananthapuram scientist Krishnakumar Rao as the programme manager.

DIR-V Programme: In Details

  • Due to an integrated multi-institutional and multi-location team,
    • The programme will consolidate and leverage the ongoing efforts in the country.
    • Finalise the formal architecture and target performance of chipsets,
    • Support original equipment makers.
  • The DIR-V initiative is part of the government’s ₹76,000 crore effort to build a semiconductor ecosystem in the country.
  • The partnership between the Shakti and Vega teams and overall DIR-V programme with platform companies such as HP, VVDN, and Apple and a large number of companies in the electronic ecosystem will help create design wins around the DIR-V family of products Shakti and Vega.

Importance of The Programme

  • Usage of semiconductors
    • India will use semiconductors worth $70-80 billion to manufacture electronics products worth $300 billion by 2026 (government’s vision document).
  • Atma Nirbhar
    • The Centre is aiming to make the country self-reliant in the semiconductor segment.
  • Fighting off Cost-Push inflation
    • The recent shortages of semiconductor has led to an increase in input costs for products and services, in turn leading to increasing inflation.
  • Capacity Development and rise as a manufacturing hub
    • India also aims to build semiconductor fabs and has sought interest from global majors for setting up manufacturing plants in the country, which will entail billions of dollars in investment.
  • Securing Strategic interests
    • Semiconductors are strategically important and can be used for snooping and espionage, hence developing domestic capabilities will negate any such potential threats.

Developments

  • Proposals from 5 firms to set up electronic chip and display manufacturing plants with an investment of ₹1.53 trillion under the Semicon India Programme, which entailed incentives to the tune of ₹76,000 crore has been received.
  • Vedanta Foxconn JV, IGSS Ventures, and ISMC have proposed to set up electronic chip manufacturing plants with $13.6 billion investment and have sought the support of $5.6 billion from the Centre under the ₹76,000 crore Semicon India Programme.

Key concepts

  • RISC - Reduced Instruction Set Architecture
    • These are a type of processors.
    • These have a smaller set of instructions with few addressing nodes.
  • Design Linked Incentive Scheme
    • Launched in December 2021
    • Aim is “To create a vibrant ecosystem for Semiconductor Chip Design in the country”.
    • C-DAC will be the nodal agency.
    • Has 3 components:-
      1. Chip Design infrastructure support:
        • C-DAC will set up the India Chip Centre to host the state-of-the-art design infrastructure and facilitate its access to supported companies.
      2. The Product Design Linked Incentive:
        • Reimbursement of up to 50% of the eligible expenditure subject to a ceiling of 15 Crore per application will be provided as fiscal support to the approved applicants who are engaged in semiconductor design.
      3. The Deployment Linked Incentive:
        • For incremental sales.

Source: Live Mint

Mains Question

Q) What is the Digital India RISC-V programme? Explain its benefits.