India enters 3nm era: A milestone in chip design to boost smartphone performance

In a landmark move for India’s semiconductor ambitions, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday inaugurated two cutting-edge chip design facilities of Renesas Electronics India in Noida and Bengaluru. The new centres are the first in the country to work on 3-nanometre (3nm) chip design—technology considered a global benchmark in next-generation computing.

Speaking at the inauguration, Vaishnaw said, “Designing at 3nm is truly next-generation. We’ve done 7nm and 5nm earlier, but this marks a new frontier.” He added on social media, “In a first, 3nm chips will be designed in India.”

Why 3nm is a big deal

Unlike earlier generations, 3nm chips allow a higher number of transistors to be packed into a tiny space—up to 250 million per square nanometre. This directly improves device performance while reducing power consumption, making it especially useful for power-hungry yet portable technologies like 5G smartphones and advanced laptops.

The breakthrough is expected to bring tangible improvements across a range of sectors, including servers and medical devices, by offering enhanced computing power without draining batteries.

Raising India’s tech profile

Describing the new centres as a turning point, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology called the launch a move that “places India firmly in the global league of semiconductor innovation.”

The facilities represent more than just a technological achievement—they signal India’s readiness to compete in the high-stakes world of advanced chip design. Industry experts see this as a crucial step in transforming India from a consumer of semiconductors to a designer of cutting-edge chip technology.

Laying the foundation for the future

While 3nm chips mark a major milestone, analysts caution that pushing boundaries further—to technologies below 2nm—will require the development of new materials and highly specialised production units. These efforts involve considerable costs and long-term investment.

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