First Made-in-India Semiconductor Chip Will Be Rolled Out in 2025: Ashwini Vaishnaw Big Announcement

New Delhi: Union Minister for Railways, Communications, and Electronics & IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday revealed that the first Made-in-India semiconductor chip is expected to be rolled out this year in 2025. Vaishnaw said that India flagged off its semiconductor programme in 2022 and at present, the government is building 5 major chipset plants.

Addressing the Republic Plenary Summit 2025 , Ashwini Vaishnaw in another big announcement said that India will also roll out its first Hydrogen-powered train in May this year and soon the country will be exporting the most sophisticated rail engines. "With 1,200 horsepower, this is going to be one of the most powerful hydrogen trains in the world," Vaishnaw said.

On Artificial Intelligence, Vaishnaw informed that India will be among the top 5 nations on AI and Deeptech by 2029.

Vaishnaw on what next big thing is coming in railways?

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that in the next 5 years, they are going to completely transform the Indian railways. The minister laid out 5 key development areas where the government would be focussing.

1. Vaishnaw informed that one of their prime focus is going to be on safety. Earlier there used to be around 170 accidents per year in railways but now this has reduced to 40. In the coming times, there priority is to make this more effective.    
2. The minister said that there will be a large-scale movement of Vande Bharat trains, Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, Amrit Bharat trains, and Namo Bharat trains in the coming years.
3. Vaishnaw informed that India will become the greenest railway network in the world with the introduction of hydrogen trains and other initiatives, in a bid to go forward in a more sustainable and environment friendly way.
4. Ashiwini Vaishnaw informed that the government is planning new high-speed cum bullet train projects across the country. At present, the construction on Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is underway in full swing.
5. The Union Minister added that after the success of bullet train project on the western section, new projects will be undertaken in North, South, and Eastern regions in the country.

"We will also see a totally new generation of locomotives. India will become a major railway equipment manufacturer and exporter in the coming years—the way we have in electronics, technology, and defence equipment. The same transformation will happen in Railways as well," he said.

With Indian Railways serving millions of passengers daily, modernisation has been a long-standing priority to enhance speed, safety, and efficiency. Vaishnaw’s announcements at the Republic Plenary Summit reinforce the government's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology and infrastructure advancements, ensuring that the railways evolve into a world-class transportation system.

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