Sahasra Semiconductors begins production at Bhiwadi unit

Sahasra Semiconductors, situated in Rajasthan, produced memory chips earlier than Micron, making it the first company of its kind in India. At its semiconductor assembly, testing, and packaging facility in the Bhiwadi district, Sahasra began production last month and has already shipped its first product to online retailers.

"We are genuinely the first company to offer made-in-India micro-SD cards, and the feedback we have gotten on e-commerce platforms has been amazing," said Sahasra Group managing director Amrit Manwani. He stated that by the end of this year, the Bhiwadi facility is anticipated to ramp up to 30% capacity, and in the next phase, early in 2024, it will reach its full potential. The business will begin implementing sophisticated packaging for items like internal memory chips in the second phase.

Two government programmes, the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) for White Goods components and subassemblies and the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS), have approved Sahasra. The chip manufacturer is entitled to a 25% capital reimbursement under SPECS for the costs incurred in establishing or growing their production plant.

Aside from Sahasra's baby moves, the US company Micron's $825 million investment in establishing a new assembly and test facility in Gujarat has been the government's biggest success in creating the semiconductor ecosystem. Beginning in late 2024, the multinational chipmaker is anticipated to begin producing DRAM and NAND products at the plant to meet both local and international demand. Half of the project's total cost is being funded by the central government as a financial incentive for the Micron project.

Regarding the advancement of semiconductor design skills, the leading technology company recently unveiled the most recent Tensor chips, which are engineered in India and power Google Pixel devices. Additionally, Applied Materials had pledged to construct a new engineering centre in Bengaluru for $400 million over a four-year period. AMD also declared that it would invest $400 million over the course of five years to grow and become the world's largest design facility for the corporation. Additionally, Vedanta disclosed a $20 billion total investment to establish integrated glass, semiconductor, and display factories in India.