DRDO warns India must master chips by 2047 to avoid future war setbacks

India risks losing future wars unless it becomes self‑reliant in semiconductor design, manufacturing and deployment by 2047, DRDO officials warned on Tuesday. The defence research agency said the country currently depends on imports for 90 % of its chip needs, even though 20 % of the global AI data generation and 20 % of the worldwide chip‑design workforce are based in India. Only three percent of AI data centres operate in the country. At the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave, DRDO Director‑General B K Das and heads of the organisation’s semiconductor labs outlined a roadmap that stops short of global leadership but aims for niche dominance. Dr Anesh Sharma, head of the Solid State Physics Lab, said India should lead in two‑nanometre chip manufacturing, 3D structures and secure two top‑ten foundries, contributing at least 20 % of high‑end niche technology. He added that true independence requires domestic supply of wafer‑grade materials, not just fab capacity. The agency also highlighted early work in quantum computing, photonic integrated circuits and neuromorphic computing as strategic IP areas. Dr Anupam Sharma warned that future conflicts will be decided by science, algorithms and data rather than tanks. The government’s Semiconductor Mission 1.0, worth Rs 76,000 crore, has already approved a dozen plants, including a Tata Group fab and packaging lines by Micron, Kaynes Semicon and CG Semi. Mission 2.0, cleared in July with a Rs 1.27 lakh‑crore budget, adds subsidies across design, supply‑chain and manufacturing as demand is projected to top $200 billion by FY 35.

Context

India’s push mirrors a global split where the US leads design, Taiwan and South Korea run foundries, and Japan, Europe and the Netherlands supply key materials. Achieving niche leadership would give the country strategic leverage in AI‑driven warfare.