Indien erhält mit US-Militärunterstützung seine erste Fabrik für nationale Sicherheit

Submission Statement:

In a pathbreaking agreement with the US, India is all set to get its first national security semiconductor fabrication plant that will supply chips to the US armed forces, its allied militaries, and Indian defence forces. The fab will be set up in India in 2025 and will be called Shakti(Power in Hindi).

In the joint factsheet released after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Joe Biden in Delaware, Biden and Modi “hailed a watershed arrangement to establish a new semiconductor fabrication plant focused on advanced sensing, communication, and power electronics for national security, next generation telecommunications, and green energy applications”.

FAB IN PARTNERSHIP WITH US SPACE FORCE:
The factsheet added that the fab will be established with the objective “of manufacturing infrared, gallium nitride and silicon carbide semiconductor”, and will be enabled by the India Semiconductor Mission and a “strategic technology partnership between Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech, and the U.S. Space Force”.

NATSEC USAGE:
Chips produced will then feed into America’s security infrastructure as well as that of its allies such as United Kingdom. The startup, 3rdiTech, is collaborating with General Atomics, a US defence major, on a series of significant projects to boost defence technology capacity in India.

MULTICHIP MILITARY FAB:
According to documents reviewed by HT, this will be the first “multichip military fab” in the world. The advanced sensing infrared chips will be used for night vision, missile seekers, space sensors, weapon sights, soldier hand held sights, and drones. The advanced power electronic chips are to be used in satellites, drones, fighter aircrafts, high altitude pseudo satellites, electric vehicles, renewable energy, data centers, and railway engines.

SIGNIFICANCE:
it as a landmark moment that gives yet another massive boost to the semiconductor ecosystem. A US-India partnership on these extremely critical and controlled technologies makes India one of the few countries in the world to have the capacity to manufacture these chips.