Ashwini Vaishnaw's Big Bet: India Wants 200 Chip Design Startups, Not Just Fabs

India's chip design startups are set for a significant leg up as the Union government firms up Semicon 2.0, with plans to more than double state-backed support for the segment. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said as much at a fireside chat during SEMICON India 2026, held on 18 September 2026. His remarks, delivered as India's second phase of semiconductor incentives takes shape, put deep-tech chip designers and the country's MSME manufacturing base at