By Shailesh Yadav

New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): India is on the cusp of achieving commercial semiconductor chip production, with the milestone expected to be reached in the coming weeks, according to S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT.

'The work is proceeding fairly rapidly, and in the coming weeks, I think we should see the commercial production. Private production has already commenced from three or four of the plants, so we should see certain inaugurations and others coming up,' Krishnan told ANI in an exclusive interview.

The development marks a significant leap in India's semiconductor ambitions, aligning with the government's push for self-reliance in critical technology sectors.

In September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the Semicon India conference in New Delhi that test chips from Micron and Tata were already under production. 'Commercial chip manufacturing will begin this year,' the Prime Minister had said, emphasising the rapid progress India is making in the semiconductor sector.

Commenting on India's third-place ranking in Stanford University's AI Vibrancy tool, just behind the United States and China, Secretary Krishnan attributed the success to the country's strengths in research and development and talent pool.

'Basically, the two parameters on which India has done really well are R&D and talent, which is to be expected, given that our level of talent in the space and the STEM space is quite high,' he explained.

On the governance parameter, Krishnan noted that the assessment was conducted before India's governance report was released. 'On governance, I think because they had taken this assessment a little earlier, they missed out on our governance report. If they take note of that, I'm sure our ranking will improve,' he added.

Ahead of the India AI Impact Summit scheduled for February 2026, the MeitY Secretary announced that preparations are in full swing. 'We are making all the arrangements in terms of following up with the visiting dignitaries. We want to have a fairly significant representation at the heads of government, heads of state level and the ministerial level, plus a number of CEOs of various companies,' Krishnan said.

The summit is expected to witness participation from over 100 countries and hundreds of companies, positioning India as a major player in the global artificial intelligence landscape.

Earlier, at the 9th AI Leadership Meet organised by ASSOCHAM, Krishnan highlighted the international interest in the upcoming India AI Impact Summit. 'The main events are on 19th and 20th. The expo would be open, and we expect many of you to wholeheartedly participate,' he said.

The Secretary emphasised the global outreach efforts, noting his recent visits to Singapore, Brussels, and Abu Dhabi, where he encountered significant interest in the summit. Indian teams have also been conducting promotional activities in Japan and the United States, including New York and San Francisco's Bay Area.

'Everywhere, there's a lot of buzz and a lot of excitement around the AI Summit. We expect that your participation will truly make it energetic and memorable, with huge outcomes on the AI front which we can convert into actionable deliverables,' Krishnan said, adding that the ultimate objective is people's welfare through the effective use of technology. (ANI)