(Commonwealth_India) India has taken another bold step in its journey to become a semiconductor powerhouse. For the first time, a telecom system built with chips manufactured entirely in India has cleared all quality and performance standards to secure the coveted TEC certification. The news was shared by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on X, who called it a “big leap for India’s semiconductor story.” His words captured the excitement of a moment that signals far more than just a technical approval; it’s proof that India’s push for self-reliance in high-tech manufacturing is beginning to pay off.
TEC, or the Telecommunication Engineering Centre under the Department of Telecommunications, is responsible for ensuring that telecom systems meet some of the toughest benchmarks for quality and reliability. For an indigenously built system powered by Indian-made chips to earn this recognition is not just a milestone; it is a landmark. It means that chips conceived, designed, and produced on Indian soil are now robust enough to power next-generation networks.
This achievement comes at a time when India is pushing hard to build its identity as a global hub for semiconductors. At the recently held Semicon India 2025 in New Delhi, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw showcased the Vikram 32-bit processor along with test chips from four government-supported projects to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Vikram chip holds a special place in India’s semiconductor story—it is the country’s first fully Make-in-India 32-bit microprocessor, built by ISRO’s Semiconductor Laboratory. Designed to operate under the punishing conditions of space launches, it shows how Indian engineers are mastering the kind of challenges once thought far beyond the country’s reach.
Prime Minister Modi, who inaugurated this fourth and largest edition of Semicon India, stood before an event that had grown bigger and louder with each passing year. This time, the numbers told their own story: more than 350 companies from 33 countries and regions, along with a record number of global stakeholders, gathered to witness what India has built. The exhibition floor was buzzing with the energy of possibility. Global giants shared space with startups, researchers mingled with policymakers, and there was a sense that India was no longer talking about its semiconductor future—it was already shaping it.
None of this has come overnight. When the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) was launched in 2021, it was seen as an ambitious vision to build an ecosystem from the ground up. Just four years later, that vision has begun to solidify. Backed by a massive ₹76,000 crore Production Linked Incentive scheme—of which nearly ₹65,000 crore has already been committed—the country has created the financial muscle and political will to turn ambition into factories, chips, and now certified systems ready for the market.
For India, the certification of the telecom system powered by homegrown chips is more than a technical tick mark. It’s a signal to the world that the country is no longer just a consumer of advanced technologies but is ready to stand among the producers. It’s a story of engineers, scientists, and innovators who have worked quietly behind the scenes, and of policymakers who dared to imagine India as part of the global semiconductor map. And while the journey is far from over, every milestone like this one pushes the dream closer to reality.
