India has a once-in-a-generation semiconductor demand window: Infosys SVP

Sandeep Kumar, CEO of L&T Semiconductor Technologies, emphasized at Semicon 2026 India that India needs hundreds of domestic chip companies to create a competitive global semiconductor ecosystem. With over 20,000 semiconductor products, no single firm can produce them all. Kumar stressed that India possesses strong skills in digital, compute, analogue and mixed-signal design, as well as radio frequency technologies.

However, there are significant gaps in high-power semiconductors, memory and optics. The major deficiency, according to Kumar, is in system architecture. Unlike chip architecture, system architecture requires understanding customer needs and market problems. India must also improve its expertise in chip manufacturing, supply chains and fabrication plant collaborations.

Kumar identified system architecture as a key differentiator in the semiconductor industry, as competition increasingly depends on innovative system-level designs. While high gross margins in the chip business enable substantial reinvestment, companies must continually innovate to replace existing products with new technologies.

L&T Semiconductor Technologies, under Kumar's leadership, is expanding its product portfolio to include power modules, communications, power conversion, compute, energy, industrial applications, mobility, data centers and AI. The company has acquired assets from Fujitsu General Electronics, partnered with Hon Young Semiconductor for silicon-carbide wafer development, and collaborated with Andes Technology on RISC-V processor platforms.

L&T Semiconductor also partnered with Taiwan-based Azuremoto Technologies for AI data center silicon-carbide power devices and entered a multiyear agreement with Synopsys for power-electronics design and simulation. Kumar stressed that India's semiconductor ambitions are a 20-year journey, aiming to produce globally competitive products rather than merely locally developed solutions.