India set to see 1-2 industry-led silicon photonics pilot projects: IPA DG

New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): India’s photonics industry is poised for a robust expansion with the countryset to see at least one to two industry-led silicon photonics pilot projects come up, India Photonics Association (IPA) Director General Ashwini Agarwal said on Wednesday. 
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the launch of the India Photonics Association (IPA), Agarwal said the photonics industry is currently “flowering”, adding that India is expected to see at least one to two industry-led silicon photonics pilot projects.
“We are going to have at least one to two pilots on silicon photonics that will come up, which will be industry-led, which will actually ensure that there is India motion on the photonics sector.”
Highlighting the potential role of the government’s semiconductor programme in accelerating investments in the sector, he said the government has announced around Rs 1.27 lakh crore, or close to USD 14 billion at current exchange rates, which is expected to attract investments of around USD 40 billion.
On the need to strengthen India’s photonics ecosystem and its inclusion under Semicon 2.0, Agarwal said the government has given silicon photonics greater prominence under the programme, with provisions for both mainstream projects and a silicon photonics fab under the R&D programme.
“I think they have captured it beautifully. They have two positions for silicon photonics. It can be there in the mainstream and they are actually providing for a silicon photonics fab in the R&D program,” he said.
Agarwal said the policy push is expected to lead to at least one or two industry-led silicon photonics pilot projects in the country, helping build momentum for India’s domestic photonics ecosystem.
“We are going to have at least one to two pilots on silicon photonics that will come up, which will be industry-led, which will actually ensure that there is India motion on the photonics sector,” he said.
Meanwhile, Agarwal stressed the need for a unified industry approach, including aggregating domestic demand, protecting the market and investing in indigenous technologies.
“We need to make sure that we aggregate our market and protect it. We invest to build our own technologies, leveraging what is there from abroad, but ensuring that it is customized for India, which are trusted technologies, which secure India and build our own path,” he said.
India launched its first independent, ecosystem-led photonics industry body, the India Photonics Association (IPA) today, to boost innovation, strengthen industry collaboration and fuel the country’s capabilities in the rapidly growing sector. 
The industry body will serve as a neutral platform for collaboration and industry engagement and provide technically rigorous, industry-grounded inputs to support informed policymaking and strengthen India’s position in the global photonics ecosystem. (ANI)