New Delhi, Oct 26: In a move to enhance cooperation between India and Japan in the realm of semiconductor technology, the Union Cabinet, has acknowledged the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in July 2023.

This MoC is between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan, focusing on the Japan-India Semiconductor Supply Chain Partnership, read the press release issued by the Cabinet.

 

The primary objective of this MoC is to bolster the collaboration between the two nations, acknowledging the pivotal role that semiconductors play in the advancement of industries and digital technologies. It will become effective from the date of its signature and will remain in force for a duration of five years.

 

The collaboration under this MoC spans both Government-to-Government (G2G) and Business-to-Business (B2B) initiatives, focusing on creating opportunities to advance a resilient semiconductor supply chain while leveraging the respective strengths of India and Japan.

In addition to fostering cooperation between the two countries, the MoC is expected to bring about improvements in collaboration that could, in turn, lead to employment opportunities within the IT sector. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has been actively working to establish an enabling environment for electronics manufacturing, read the press release.

The "Programme for Development of Semiconductor and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India" was introduced to ensure the robust and sustainable development of semiconductor and display ecosystems within the country.

 

This program extends fiscal support for the establishment of Semiconductor Fabs, Display Fabs, Fabs for Compound Semiconductors, Silicon Photonics, Sensors, Discrete Semiconductors, Semiconductor Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP), as well as Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facilities, read the press release.

Furthermore, the "India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)" has been established under the Digital India Corporation (DIC) to steer India's strategies for the development of a semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem within the country.

The India-Japan Digital Partnership (IJDP) was launched in October 2018 during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Japan, furthering existing areas of cooperation and introducing new initiatives within the scope of cooperation in Science and Technology/Information and Communication Technology (S&T/ICT), with a particular focus on "Digital ICT Technologies."

Building upon the ongoing IJDP and India-Japan Industrial Competitiveness Partnership (IJICP), this MoC on Japan-India Semiconductor Supply Chain Partnership aims to extend the scope and depth of cooperation in the electronics ecosystem, read the release.

Recognizing the fundamental role of semiconductors in the advancement of industries and digital technologies, this MoC will reinforce the resilience of the semiconductor supply chain.