Introduction
Over the course of 10 months, eight India Technology Policy fellows engaged in substantive research on policies related to India’s semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. The eight fellows engaged in independent primary and secondary research and shared their findings in topical opinion articles in major Indian publications. Toward the end of their fellowship—sponsored by the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program at the US Department of State— in summer 2025 Pacific Forum organized a trip to multiple cities in the US, providing the fellows an opportunity to interact and learn from industry, government and academia—informing their research and analysis. Their fellowship concluded with policy papers offering actionable policy recommendations to enhance semiconductor technology protections and thereby trade with India. Find here, eight policy papers covering various areas of US-India semiconductor cooperation.
Akhil Ramesh
Director of India Program & Economic Statecraft Initiative
Pacific Forum
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
ASSESSING THE DESIGN LINKED INCENTIVE (DLI) SCHEME FOR STRENGTHENING INDIA’S SEMICONDUCTOR DESIGN LANDSCAPE
TOWARDS A JUST CHIPS PARTNERSHIP: EMBEDDING TRADE JUSTICE IN GLOBAL SEMICONDUCTOR POLICY
PROTECTING INNOVATION IN THE INDIAN SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY: KEY GAPS, CHALLENGES, AND IP STRATEGIES
POLICY ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK REFORM FOR SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY COMPETITIVENESS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INDIA, CHINA, THE US, SOUTH KOREA, AND TAIWAN
INDIA’S SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM: PAST, PRESENT, AND STRATEGIC FUTURE
SECURING INDIA’S SEMICONDUCTOR SUPPLY CHAIN —A STRATEGIC OUTLOOK
INDIAN SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY — AN ANALYSIS OF LAW AND POLICY
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
About the Authors
HARSHA SINGH is a journalist and a researcher with extensive experience in various newsrooms, having spent more than four years in financial and tech newsrooms across India. Her career includes time spent in legacy media such as Times of India, Economic Times as well as in niche newsrooms like The Morning Context. Throughout her career, Singh has contributed as a reporter, feature writer, audience engagement specialist, and video producer. With a well-rounded perspective on India, she bring a deep understanding of the business, finance, and tech landscape, offering valuable insights into these critical areas.
NIDHI SINGH is a senior research analyst and program manager at Carnegie India. Her current research interests include data governance, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Her work focuses on the implications of information technology law and policy from a Global Majority and Asian perspective. She has previously contributed to the Indian Express, The Secretariat, Medianama and Hindu Business Line. Prior to working at Carnegie, Nidhi was a project manager at the Centre for Communication Governance at the National Law University Delhi. She worked extensively on AI and data governance, providing policy comments on the design of AI regulation and data governance both domestically and internationally.
PRANUSHA KULKARNI is is Assistant Professor of General Management and Public Policy at the Goa Institute of Management, Sanquelim. Her research bridges international political economy, climate diplomacy, and technology policy. She holds a PhD in Public Policy from IIM Ahmedabad, where her work focused on justice in renewable energy transitions. She is a gold medalist in LL.M. (Access to Justice) at TISS Mumbai, and can be reached at [email protected].
APARNA SHARMA is an India Technology Policy (Hybrid Resident) Fellow at Pacific Forum and a seasoned researcher with 12 years of experience in research, advocacy, public policy, project implementation, primary surveys, and consulting. She holds a Master’s in Economics from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Indian Institute of Technology Indore. Her professional journey includes roles at prestigious institutions such as IIT Indore, IIM Lucknow, CUTS International Jaipur, and India Development Foundation. Aparna’s interdisciplinary academic background spans economics of innovation, patent policy, R&D internationalization, technology transfer, and international trade. She has conducted extensive fieldwork identifying cross-border trade facilitation issues along the borders of North East India, including Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Aparna has published numerous articles and policy papers on international trade issues, gender dimensions in trade, and regional connectivity in South Asia. Her research on technology diffusion and cross-country patenting impacts is featured in esteemed international journals. Aparna founded the Centre for Innovation and Trade Economy to explore the intersection of innovation, economy, and international trade. She has received prestigious scholarships from ICSSR and the Government of Taiwan, along with a project grant from the Department of Science and Technology, India. Aparna is dedicated to contributing to promoting trade and supply chain security in the semiconductor industry of the Indo-Pacific region.
HARISH CHOWDHARY is a passionate and experienced Technology Analyst, IT System Manager and Chief Information Security Officer at Rashtriya Raksha University, India. With over a decade of experience in technology policy analysis, internet governance, and cybersecurity, Mr. Harish Chowdhary has a specialized focus on techno-policy and governance. He has a proven track record in research, policy analysis, and community engagement. He has served at the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), government of India as technology analyst (internet governance). Mr. Harish Chowdhary pioneered the establishment of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) ecosystem in India, contributing significantly to the development of internet standards and protocols. He has provided critical techno-policy inputs to the government of India and National Internet Exchange of India on pivotal issues, including open standards and protocols, multilingual internet, cyber security, DNS abuse, universal acceptance, internationalized domain names, email address internationalization, and the impact of AI on internet governance and DNS.
MMHONLUMO KIKON is a Poet and author, having published three books of poems and one book on history. He studied English Literature at the University of Delhi for his bachelor’s and master’s. He is an ASPEN Fellow. As a politician he won and represented the Bhandari Assembly Constituency, Nagaland as the Member of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly for two consecutive terms from 2013 till 2023. He was a minister in the government of Nagaland. He also held the position of advisor to the government of Nagaland on information technology and communication, new and renewable energy, science and technology from the year 2018-23. As a parliamentary secretary, he held the portfolios of labour, employment, and skill development in the government of Nagaland. He is a national spokesperson of the BJP and was the Prabhari/in-charge of Mizoram state for the party for three years. His latest book is called His Majesty’s Headhunters, published by Penguin Random House. He is presently based out of Dimapur, Nagaland.
VIDHYASHANKAR SATHYA is an entrepreneurial professional with more than two decades of experience in successfully leading systemic change through start-ups and innovation-led ecosystems; architecting corporate strategy and executing business models; forging global partnerships & alliances; building markets, clients, and communities; advising on public policy and regulations towards impact investing and India entry strategies through multi-stakeholder advocacy. As the CEO of Network of Indian Cultural Enterprises (NICEorg), a social enterprise, scaled-up operations of the community, content, and capital aspects towards fostering an ecosystem of cultural entrepreneurs, aiding in the soft power of new India in a multi-polar world.
PROF. NANDIMATH OMPRAKASH V, an academic lawyer, uniquely known to use law as a strategic tool for development and decision-making. He has honed this unique perspective in nearly 28 years of law teaching, research and consultancy experience. A trained business lawyer, he attempts to study the regulatory interphase between trade, environment and health. He was an active law practitioner before joining the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) – the oldest and leading law school in India in 1996. In his nearly three decades of academic career, he has experienced working in multicultural, multi-layered environments to solve real-life challenges. His journey ranges from bagging Fulbright and Chevening Scholarships to holding HAL DPSU Chair Professor and Executive Chair of Health Law & Ethics. He has many publications to his credit. He is currently serving as the Ness Wadia Business Chair Professor at the NLSIU, Bengaluru.