{
  "id": 7574590,
  "title": "From sand to the chip in your phone: India's semiconductor chief explains every step",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/from-sand-to-the-chip-in-your-phone-indias-semiconductor-chief",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-15T14:50:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "YourStory",
    "slug": "yourstory",
    "url": "https://yourstory.com/2026/09/semiconductor-chip-made-explained-ism-amitesh-sinha"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Every Indian utilizes semiconductors in their daily lives, from phones and laptops to UPI apps, yet most have never encountered one. At the opening of Semicon India 2026 in New Delhi, Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and CEO of the India Semiconductor Mission, explained the manufacturing process of semiconductor chips to Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO of YourStory and The Bharat Project.\n\nSinha likened a semiconductor chip to a house, starting with design, followed by construction and finishing. The design process employs Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, which is the most complex aspect of the entire chain, costing anywhere from Rs 25 crore to Rs 2,000 crore for a single chip design. The fabrication process, comparable to a kitchen, transforms the design into a physical product using a large circular wafer, which is polished and undergoes several hundred steps, including deposition of materials, lithography, and etching.\n\nAfter fabrication, the resulting dies are packaged with connectors and waterproofing to enable electrical connections. Each wafer can yield between 5,000 to 50,000 chips, depending on the size. Packaging, where India aims to become a significant exporter in the next five to six years, follows this sequence, while the fabrication process takes longer due to its high costs. A cutting-edge fabrication facility can cost anywhere from Rs 500 crore to Rs 90,000 crore, with equipment expenses accounting for 65% of the total cost. India's strategy to develop a robust semiconductor industry relies on government support, as the high costs and strategic importance of the industry necessitate such measures.",
  "summary": "ISM CEO Amitesh Kumar Sinha explains how a semiconductor chip is made, from sand and design to test and packaging, and why fabs cost billions.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "YourStory",
        "title": "Women shaping India’s chip future take centre stage at Semicon India 2026",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/women-shaping-indias-chip-future-take-centre-stage-at-semicon-india",
        "published": "2026-09-15T11:14:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}