New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described semiconductors as the "digital diamonds" of the 21st century, highlighting India's rapid strides in chip manufacturing at the Semicon India 2025 summit. Addressing global industry leaders, innovators, and investors, the Prime Minister highlighted India's transformation into a growing hub for the semiconductor ecosystem.

"It is said in the semiconductor world that oil was black gold, but chips are digital diamonds," PM Modi said. "Our last century was shaped by oil... But the power of the 21st century is limited to a small chip. This chip has the power to accelerate the development of the world."

PM Modi also laid out a timeline of India’s progress in the semiconductor sector.

2021: Launch of the Semicon India Program

2023: Approval of India’s first semiconductor plant

2024: Approval of additional plants

2025: Clearance of five more projects

"In 2025, we cleared five additional projects. Overall, an investment of more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore is being made in ten semiconductor projects," the Prime Minister said.

He emphasised that this scale of investment reflects the global industry’s growing trust in India as a reliable semiconductor manufacturing destination.

To further support the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing sectors, the government has introduced the National Single Window System, which integrates approval processes across central and state departments.

"We have implemented the National Single Window System. Through this, all the approvals from the Centre and the states are being received on a single platform. As a result, our investors are now freed from a significant amount of paperwork," Modi said.