NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri on Friday, 29 May said India has made faster-than-expected progress in building its semiconductor ecosystem, but warned that achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat will hinge on the country securing genuine technological sovereignty. Speaking in New Delhi, Lahiri underscored that dependence on imported black-box technologies remains one of the most serious strategic risks facing the nation.

Momentum Behind the India Semiconductor Mission

Lahiri credited the India Semiconductor Mission and early investments in design, manufacturing, and packaging for laying a strong foundation. He also pointed to deepening partnerships with the United States, Japan, and Europe as key drivers of the current momentum.

'India has already covered important ground,' he said. 'The progress has been faster than many expected. The next decade will be critical in converting this momentum into a durable national capability.'

Why Technological Sovereignty Is Non-Negotiable

Lahiri stressed that India's technological sovereignty must be anchored at the infrastructure layer, with semiconductors forming the backbone of critical sectors — including artificial intelligence, defence, manufacturing, mobility, energy systems, communications, and citizen services. Without domestic capability at this foundational level, he argued, India risks remaining a downstream participant in the global technology order rather than emerging as a leader.

NITI Frontier Tech Hub Roadmap: Depth Over Breadth

Lahiri highlighted the NITI Frontier Tech Hub roadmap as a clear and practical blueprint for India's semiconductor future. A central premise of the roadmap, he explained, is that India cannot compete across every segment of the semiconductor value chain simultaneously and must instead go deep in selected strategic areas.

'It recognises that India cannot do everything at once and therefore must choose a few strategic priorities and go deep — whether in design, advanced packaging, compound semiconductors or other emerging opportunities where India can leapfrog parts of the global value chain,' he stated.

Implementation Focus and the Road Ahead

The roadmap, according to Lahiri, is built with a strong implementation-oriented approach. It identifies key priorities for the next ten years, the enabling conditions needed to support growth, and the sectors where India can emerge as a global leader. He said the focus at NITI Aayog is to translate strategy into concrete action.

'India has the conviction, capability and urgency to make this happen,' he added. This comes amid a global race to secure semiconductor supply chains, with the US, EU, Japan, and South Korea all committing hundreds of billions of dollars to domestic chip production. India's ability to carve out a differentiated position — rather than simply replicating existing models — will define whether its semiconductor ambitions translate into lasting industrial power.