India must make its defence chips end-to-end, say scientists
Senior Indian defence scientists are calling for the domestic end-to-end manufacturing of semiconductors for military hardware. They argue that relying on imported chips leaves critical network-centric weapons systems vulnerable to security risks.
Why it matters
National security is increasingly tied to technological sovereignty, as modern warfare relies heavily on AI-integrated chips for precision and communication.
India must make its defence chips end-to-end, say scientists At The Hindu Semiconductor Summit, V.K. Saraswat, A. Sivathanu Pillai and Deleep Nair warn that imported chips leave network-centric weapons vulnerable, and that waiting until 2030-35 for advanced nodes would be too late CHENNAI India’s increasingly network-centric weapons, from the BrahMos cruise missile to the proposed Sudarshan Chakra air defence shield, will remain vulnerable so long as the semiconductors inside them are imported, senior defence scientists said on Tuesday, calling for chips to be designed, manufactured and packaged end-to-end in the country. Speaking at the ‘Chips for the Next Battlefield: Semiconductors, AI & the Future of Defense’ panel at SRM Presents The Hindu Semiconductor Summit 2026 here, former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Director General V.K. Saraswat said warfare had moved from platform-centric fighting to network-centric operations, in which command, control and communications riding on semiconductors decide the outcome.
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