Japan-India Semiconductor Supply Chain Partnership

The Union Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in July 2023 between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan on the Japan-India Semiconductor Supply Chain Partnership.

Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) aims to strengthen cooperation between India and Japan towards 

1. Enhancement of the semiconductor supply chain, 
2. The importance of semiconductors for the advancement of industries and digital technologies can be recognised.

• Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) will remain in force for 5 years after signing.
• Government to Government (G2G) and Business to Business (B2B) can leverage semiconductor supply chains and leverage complementary strengths.
• MoC will result in improved collaboration, leading to employment opportunities in IT.

About India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has launched the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) within the Digital India Corporation.
• India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) aims to build a vibrant semiconductor and display ecosystem which enables India's emergence as a global home for electronics manufacturing and design. 

About India-Japan Digital Partnership (IJDP)

• In October 2018, the "India-Japan Digital Partnership" (IJDP) was launched, aiming to strengthen the existing cooperation and establish new initiatives in the field of science, technology, and information and communication technology (ICT). 
• The partnership focuses more on digital ICT technologies, as there are remarkable synergies and complementarities between the two nations in this field.
• Under the India-Japan Industrial Competitiveness Partnership (IJICP), this MoC aims to deepen cooperation in the electronics ecosystem by establishing a Japan-India Semiconductor Supply Chain Partnership.
• Given the importance of semiconductors for industries and digital technologies, this MoC aims to enhance semiconductor supply chain resilience.

About Semiconductors

• Semiconductors are materials that have a conductivity between conductors, typically metals, and nonconductors or insulators like most ceramics. 
• Compounds like gallium arsenide or cadmium selenide, as well as pure elements like silicon or germanium, can be used in this process. The process of doping involves adding small amounts of impurities to pure semiconductors, which results in significant changes in the material's conductivity.