Thursday, 5 September 2024

## Continued Exploration: Expanding India-Singapore Semiconductor Cooperation with Facts and Figures

### Continued Exploration: Expanding India-Singapore Semiconductor Cooperation with Facts and Figures

The India-Singapore semiconductor partnership offers immense opportunities for strengthening both countries’ roles in global supply chains, boosting economic growth, and contributing to technological advancements. Below, we explore additional facets of this collaboration, focusing on ongoing projects, future potential, and the broader economic impacts.

### The Global Semiconductor Industry: Current Figures and Projections

- The **global semiconductor market** is projected to reach **$803 billion** by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of **9.2%** from 2021 to 2028. Factors driving this growth include the increasing demand for chips in **5G, artificial intelligence (AI), automotive electronics, smart devices**, and **data centers**.
- The ongoing **chip shortage** has brought the global semiconductor supply chain into sharp focus, pushing countries to invest in domestic manufacturing capabilities. Asia-Pacific remains a critical hub for this industry, accounting for **60%** of global semiconductor sales, led by countries like **China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan**, and increasingly, **India and Singapore**.

### India's Growing Role in Semiconductor Design and Manufacturing

India’s semiconductor strategy is focused on positioning itself as a key player in **chip design**, **manufacturing**, and **assembly**. Some additional figures provide insight into the rapid development:

- **Semiconductor Demand:** India’s semiconductor demand is expected to grow at a **17% CAGR**, reaching **$110 billion** by 2030, driven by the increasing adoption of **5G infrastructure, industrial IoT, automotive electronics**, and **consumer electronics**.
- **Chip Design Expertise:** India already accounts for **20% of global semiconductor design talent**, with major global companies such as **Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm**, and **Texas Instruments** conducting R&D and design work in India. Over **2,000 chips** have been designed by engineers in India, with significant contributions to global semiconductor innovation.
- **Manufacturing Capabilities:**
   - The Indian government’s **$10 billion PLI scheme** (Production Linked Incentive) is aimed at attracting investment in **semiconductor manufacturing, assembly, testing, marking, and packaging (ATMP)**. This scheme is expected to bring in **$25 billion** in investments by 2026.
   - India is working on **three major semiconductor fabrication projects**, with the **Vedanta-Foxconn project** leading the way as a **$19.5 billion investment** in Gujarat, focusing on **28nm** and **65nm** chip production. This fab will target sectors such as **automotive electronics, 5G infrastructure**, and **consumer electronics**, with plans to begin production by **2025**.

### Singapore’s Advanced Manufacturing and R&D

Singapore’s semiconductor sector has long been a global leader in **wafer fabrication** and **advanced semiconductor manufacturing**, playing a critical role in the global supply chain:

- **Contribution to Global Output:** Singapore is responsible for **11%** of the global semiconductor market and **5%** of the world’s wafer fabrication output, focusing on **300mm wafers** for advanced applications in **AI, automotive**, and **telecommunications**.
- **R&D and Talent Investment:** Through its **Research, Innovation, and Enterprise (RIE) 2025** strategy, Singapore is investing **$25 billion** into research and innovation, with a significant portion directed at **semiconductors, AI, and quantum computing**. This includes collaborative efforts with India’s **IITs** and **national labs** to explore **AI-driven chip design** and **quantum computing hardware**.
- **GlobalFoundries and Micron Expansion:** Singapore is home to **GlobalFoundries’ 300mm wafer fab**, which is expanding to meet the growing demand for **sub-10nm chips** used in **AI accelerators, 5G infrastructure**, and **high-performance computing**. Micron Technology’s **$150 million expansion** in Singapore will further increase its output of **DRAM chips**, critical for **data centers** and **cloud computing**.

### Key Joint Ventures and Collaborations

India and Singapore are increasingly collaborating in the semiconductor space, leveraging their unique strengths to address global supply chain vulnerabilities and tap into the growing global market. The following initiatives highlight their joint efforts:

#### 1. **India-Singapore Semiconductor Corridor**
India and Singapore are planning to create a **semiconductor corridor** that links **Singapore’s wafer fabs** with **India’s packaging and assembly units**. This will streamline the movement of materials and products between the two nations, creating a cohesive supply chain that can cater to both domestic and international demands.

- **Strategic Linkages:** The corridor is expected to facilitate the flow of raw materials (wafers) from Singapore to India for packaging and testing, with finished products re-exported to global markets. By **2027**, this corridor could generate over **$15 billion** in exports from both countries combined.
- **Economic Impact:** This semiconductor corridor is projected to create **50,000 jobs** across both nations, with a focus on high-skill jobs in **chip design**, **R&D**, **testing**, and **manufacturing**.

#### 2. **Advanced Semiconductor Packaging**
Singapore’s expertise in **advanced semiconductor packaging** makes it a natural partner for India’s expanding **chip assembly** sector. The two countries are collaborating to establish joint ventures in **advanced packaging** techniques, including **system-in-package (SiP)** and **fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP)**.

- **Capacity Building:** Joint ventures are expected to add **5 million units annually** to the region’s packaging capacity by 2025, with both countries targeting sectors like **automotive electronics**, **smartphones**, and **medical devices**.
- **Export Growth:** Through these joint ventures, India and Singapore could contribute **$10 billion** annually to the global semiconductor packaging market by **2030**.

#### 3. **Semiconductor Talent Development**
Talent development is a key focus of the India-Singapore partnership. Both nations are creating exchange programs to train semiconductor engineers in **advanced manufacturing**, **design**, and **R&D**.

- **Singapore’s Institutes of Higher Learning** are collaborating with **India’s IITs** to create **semiconductor design and manufacturing programs**. The goal is to train **10,000 semiconductor engineers** annually by 2027, who will work in **India’s fabs and Singapore’s wafer fabs**.
- **Research Collaboration:** Singapore’s **Institute of Microelectronics (IME)** and India’s **C-DAC** (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) are jointly working on **quantum chip research** and **AI-powered chips**, which could position both countries as leaders in **next-generation semiconductor technology**.

### Future Projections and Global Export Contributions

Given the investments and collaboration between India and Singapore, the two nations are poised to significantly increase their share of the global semiconductor export market. Below are projections for the next decade:

#### India’s Export Projections
- By **2027**, India is expected to export **$20 billion** in semiconductor products, including **low-power chips, IoT chips**, and **28nm chips** used in **automotive electronics** and **telecommunications**. This will be driven by projects like the **Vedanta-Foxconn fab** and **Tata Electronics’ packaging units**.
- By **2030**, India could contribute **$30-35 billion** to global semiconductor exports, positioning itself as a key supplier of **mid-tier chips** for industrial and consumer applications.

#### Singapore’s Export Projections
- Singapore is expected to grow its semiconductor exports to **$60 billion** annually by **2028**, driven by expansion in **DRAM**, **NAND flash**, and **AI chips** from facilities like **Micron’s fab** and **GlobalFoundries**.
- By **2030**, Singapore could account for **15% of global semiconductor exports**, focusing on advanced **sub-10nm chips** for **AI, 5G**, and **autonomous vehicles**.

### Conclusion

The semiconductor collaboration between India and Singapore holds immense promise, not only for meeting their domestic needs but also for making significant contributions to global exports. By leveraging their respective strengths in **chip design, manufacturing**, and **packaging**, the two nations are building a robust partnership that can reshape the global semiconductor supply chain. 

With ongoing investments, joint ventures, and talent development programs, both India and Singapore are on track to become **major players** in the global semiconductor market, contributing to innovation and supply chain resilience. This partnership could significantly boost the economic growth of both nations while addressing the growing demand for chips in the **AI, 5G**, and **IoT** sectors globally.

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