Krishnan says India’s semiconductor journey requires strong partnerships between government and stakeholders
Startup Policy Forum (SPF) has launched ‘The Semicon Consortium’, an alliance bringing together semiconductor startups, investors and global players to support the growth of India’s semiconductor industry.
This objective is to create a permanent industry platform to advance semiconductor policy, facilitate structured engagement between government and industry, and support long-term ecosystem development, SPF said on 5 Aug.
The launch comes days after the government unveiled the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0, which the Union Cabinet approved on 15 July 2026 with a fiscal outlay of Rs.127,500 crore, roughly 68 percent larger than what was committed under ISM 1.0 in 2021.
The launch of Semicon Consortium was announced at Semicon Baatcheet, a high-level roundtable chaired by S Krishnan, Secretary Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), that brought together senior government officials, semiconductor startups, venture capital investors, industry leaders and policy experts to deliberate on the operationalisation of ISM 2.0.
The roundtable was attended by semiconductor startups including Agrani Labs, Agnit Semiconductors, Incore Semiconductors, Mantra Semiconductor, Photonsilica and Bharat Semi; venture capital firms including Bessemer Venture Partners, Speciale Invest, Elevation Capital, Iron Pillar and global semiconductor players including AMD, Intel, Ericsson.
The discussion focused on ensuring that the implementation framework for ISM 2.0 reflects the needs of India’s fast-growing semiconductor startup ecosystem.
A few key priorities include faster deployment of patient capital, effective implementation of the proposed government co-investment model, strengthening semiconductor talent pipelines, improving access to shared infrastructure, creating demand through strategic public procurement, and simplifying operational guidelines to enable startups across the semiconductor value chain to scale.
S. Krishnan said, “India’s semiconductor journey requires strong partnerships between government, industry, startups, academia and investors. As we implement ISM 2.0, our objective is to build an ecosystem that rewards innovation, accelerates commercialisation and creates globally competitive semiconductor capabilities. Structured industry engagement such as today’s discussion plays an important role in ensuring that policy design remains grounded in practical realities.”
The roundtable also marked the release of “India’s Semiconductor Startup Landscape 2026”, a report jointly published by Startup Policy Forum and Speciale Invest, mapping India’s emerging semiconductor innovation ecosystem and highlighting opportunities to strengthen startup-led growth across chip design, materials, manufacturing technologies, packaging and enabling infrastructure.
Shweta Rajpal Kohli, President & CEO, Startup Policy Forum, elaborated, “India’s semiconductor ambitions will ultimately be realised not only through large manufacturing investments, but also through a thriving ecosystem of startups building intellectual property, equipment, materials and next-generation technologies. As ISM 2.0 enters its implementation phase, sustained dialogue between government, startups and investors will be essential to ensure that policy translates into globally competitive businesses. Through our Centre for Deep Tech Policy Research, we are institutionalising this engagement by launching a dedicated The Semicon Consortium that will continue to support evidence-based policymaking for the sector.”
The roundtable forms part of Startup Policy Forum’s continued engagement with government and industry to strengthen India’s deep technology ecosystem. Insights from the discussion will feed into SPF’s ongoing policy recommendations being prepared by knowledge partner Ikigai Law on the implementation of ISM 2.0 and future semiconductor policy initiatives.
Startup Policy Forum (SPF) is an independent, not-for-profit industry alliance representing over 75 of India’s leading new-age technology companies with a combined valuation exceeding USD 100 billion. Bringing together founders from across fintech, consumer technology, deeptech, healthtech, mobility and other sectors, including Zerodha, Razorpay, Emergent, Pine Labs, Groww, OYO, CRED, Meesho, InVideo, Digantara, ixigo, Curefoods and CARS24, SPF works to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem through policy advocacy, thought leadership and strategic engagement with government and global stakeholders. SPF partners with institutions including DPIIT, MeitY Startup Hub and IIT Madras, and convenes high-level dialogues with policymakers, regulators and industry leaders to advance evidence-based policy that enables innovation-led economic growth. fiinews.com
