In Short:
The government has invited bids from project management companies to run and manage the operations of the India Semiconductor Mission. The project management company will be responsible for various aspects such as financial arrangements, technology transfer roadmap, monitoring project completion, and verifying claims submitted by successful bidders. The mission aims to build a semiconductor chip manufacturing ecosystem, with major investments announced by companies like Micron and Tata Group.
Government invites bids for management of India Semiconductor Mission
The government has invited bids from project management companies and joint-ventures to oversee and manage the operations of the India Semiconductor Mission. This includes various aspects such as technological and financial arrangements, vetting of proposed technology arrangements, technology transfer roadmap, and ensuring timely project completion.
In its bid, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has outlined responsibilities for the project management company, which include estimating the financial aspects of the project, monitoring project costs, and overseeing expenditures related to plant, machinery, clean rooms, equipment, and associated units.
The selected project management company will also be tasked with verifying claims submitted by successful bidders, monitoring the financial and technical viability of the project, and ensuring compliance with off-take agreements from companies involved in the India Semiconductor Mission.
Additionally, the project management company will review and provide suggestions for quality control protocols related to product qualification, chip reliability, testing, chip quality, yield benchmark, and production target achievement.
The IT ministry is overseeing the Rs 76,000 crore Indian Semiconductor Mission, aimed at establishing a robust semiconductor chip manufacturing and packaging ecosystem. The project, announced in December 2021, has already seen significant progress with Micron and Tata Group setting up manufacturing and packaging facilities in Gujarat and Assam, respectively.
US-based Micron announced plans to invest $2.75 billion in an outsourced assembly and testing unit in Gujarat, with the Tata Group and Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation also starting construction on a chip manufacturing plant in Gujarat. The Tata Group is also establishing a chip packaging plant in Assam, while CG Power, in a joint venture with Renesas of Japan, is setting up another chip packaging plant.
