Advancements in 5G Chipset Development in India's Semiconductor Sector

Vivek Tyagi, Managing Director, Analog Devices, engaged in a conversation with Thiruamuthan, Assistant Editor at Industry Outlook, discusses India’s growing momentum in 5G chipset development, focusing on system-level optimization, performance efficiency, and the importance of local manufacturing capabilities. He highlights the country’s progress in semiconductor manufacturing, talent development, cost efficiency, and public-private partnerships for 5G innovation. Vivek Tyagi, a seasoned semiconductor industry professional with over 30 years of experience. He specializes in sales leadership, team building, business development, and driving market growth across India and Southeast Asia.    

With India's semiconductor industry gaining significant momentum in 5G development, what are the key technological advancements currently shaping 5G chipset production?

Today, we are seeing a clear shift from isolated component performance to system-level optimization. In 5G chipset development, that translates into tighter integration of RF, power management, and signal processing, with a strong emphasis on efficiency at scale. The focus is no longer just peak performance, but how reliably and efficiently that performance can be delivered in real-world environments.

India’s 5G chipset momentum is driven by a blend of system-level integration and platform agility, with emphasis on performance efficiency and network reliability. Globally, 5G chipset leaders are prioritizing energy optimization, multi-mode connectivity, and RF front-end advancement, to support higher bandwidth and low latency use cases. While India’s indigenous 5G chipset innovation is still at an early stage, research and applied development, such as SDR (software-defined radio) system-on-chip implementations are emerging through university–industry collaboration, pointing to modular, software-centric architectures as a future leverage point for local value creation.

Overall, the direction of travel suggests that efficiency, integration, and adaptability are becoming just as important as raw performance in shaping 5G chipset design.

As demand for 5G chipsets surges, how is India strengthening its local manufacturing capabilities and improving its semiconductor supply chain infrastructure?

Over the past year, India’s progress has been most visible in its measured and phased approach to semiconductor manufacturing. Rather than attempting to leapfrog immediately into advanced fabrication, the focus has been on building credibility and capability in assembly, testing, and packaging, while simultaneously strengthening the surrounding ecosystem.

There has also been a clear emphasis on improving supply-chain resilience. This includes attracting equipment suppliers, encouraging ecosystem partnerships, and creating policy frameworks that support long-term operational stability. These steps are critical foundations for any semiconductor ecosystem, particularly one supporting complex technologies such as 5G.

Taken together, these developments point to an approach that prioritises readiness and reliability over speed.

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Given the challenges in accessing advanced manufacturing technologies and the talent shortage, what measures can India adopt to stay competitive in 5G chipset developments?

The discussion today is largely centred on alignment and prioritization, rather than trying to solve every challenge at once. On the manufacturing side, India continues to engage with global ecosystems for advanced process technologies, while focusing domestically on areas where it can build depth more quickly, such as design, validation, and system integration.

Talent development is another area where steady progress is visible. Over the past year, there has been increased emphasis on expanding access to semiconductor design tools, structured skilling program, and industry-linked training initiatives. These efforts are aimed at creating engineers who are application-ready, particularly in domains such as RF systems and mixed-signal design, which are central to 5G.

While these measures take time to show results, they reflect a realistic understanding of how competitiveness in semiconductors is built.

To ensure sustainable growth in India’s 5G ecosystem, what innovative solutions are being developed to enhance cost efficiency and scalability in 5G chipset production?

Across the industry, there is increasing recognition that cost efficiency in 5G is driven as much by design choices and system architecture as by manufacturing scale. One commonly observed approach is the reuse of proven platforms and reference architectures, which helps reduce redesign cycles and manage complexity as volumes increase.

In areas such as RF signal chains, power management, and high-speed data conversion, ADI works with customers to help optimize performance, power, and footprint early in the design process. This kind of system-level optimization can help customers reduce downstream costs associated with rework, overdesign, or excessive component count.

ADI also provides reference designs, evaluation platforms, and software tools that customers can use to accelerate development and improve design confidence. These resources are particularly relevant in complex applications like 5G, where integration challenges can quickly translate into cost and scalability constraints if not addressed early.

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With the government's focus on the semiconductor sector, how are public-private partnerships and global collaborations boosting 5G chipset innovation in India?

Public–private engagement over the past year has largely focused on creating enabling conditions rather than prescribing technology outcomes. Policy initiatives have aimed to provide clarity, reduce risk, and encourage participation across the value chain, from design to manufacturing and skilling.

In parallel, India’s global engagements have supported knowledge exchange in areas such as manufacturing practices, research collaboration, and standards alignment. These interactions help Indian ecosystems stay connected to global developments while building local capability in a structured way.

Such engagements are particularly important in semiconductors, where innovation is cumulative and deeply interconnected across geographies.

Looking ahead, what advancements and improvements can we expect in India’s 5G chipset development over the next 5 years?

Current public discourse points towards incremental progression rather than rapid transformation. Recent announcements around domestically designed chipsets and early production milestones suggest that the focus remains on execution, ecosystem coordination, and consistency.

There is also increasing discussion around application-specific requirements, such as industrial connectivity and infrastructure-led deployments, which influence how 5G chipsets are designed and validated. These conversations indicate a gradual broadening of India’s role across the value chain, grounded in practical experience rather than ambition alone. In semiconductors, such steady, cumulative progress is often a more reliable indicator of long-term capability building.