India Enters Next-Gen Semiconductor Chip Era With 3nm Design Centres In Noida And Bengaluru

Union Minister for Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday (13 May) inaugurated two advanced semiconductor design facilities of Renesas Electronics India in Noida and Bengaluru.

This marks a significant milestone in India’s push towards next-generation chip innovation.

Highlighting the breakthrough, the minister said these facilities include India’s first design centre working on cutting-edge 3 nanometer (nm) chip design — a leap forward from previous achievements at 5nm and 7nm levels.

“Designing at 3nm is truly next-generation. We’ve done 7nm and 5nm earlier, but this marks a new frontier,” he said.

The new centers are part of a broader semiconductor strategy that the minister said is “holistic,” spanning the entire value chain — from design and fabrication to ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging), as well as critical inputs like equipment, chemicals, and gases.

He cited global investor interest seen at platforms like Davos and noted the ongoing commitments by major players such as Applied Materials and Lam Research.

Terming the inauguration of the UP's Noida facility as a pivotal step in building a pan-India ecosystem, the minister emphasised the importance of tapping into India's vast talent pool.

“Within just three years, India’s semiconductor industry has moved from a nascent stage to an emerging global hub,” he said, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for prioritising semiconductors under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.

He further stressed the critical timing of this growth: “With electronic manufacturing spanning smartphones, laptops, medical and defense equipment, automobiles and more, the demand for semiconductors will rise exponentially.”

Speaking at the launch, Renesas CEO and MD Hidetoshi Shibata reaffirmed India’s strategic importance to the company. He said Renesas is committed to building end-to-end capabilities in India — from architecture to testing — while supporting over 250 academic institutions and multiple startups through government-backed schemes like Chips to Startup (C2S) and the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Programme.

He added that India’s talent strength and shared Indo-Japan strategic interests will help reinvent the global semiconductor lifecycle.

Renesas, a global leader in embedded semiconductor solutions, is expanding its footprint in India with design centers in Noida, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, focused on sectors including automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT.

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