Minister Vaishnaw expects more companies to start production of memory chips in India

📌 Summary:

• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said new companies are likely to invest in India to manufacture memory chips, while existing investors scale up to address the demand–supply gap
• Strong demand for memory (data storage) cards and advanced chips has tightened global supplies and pushed up prices in recent quarters
• Higher memory-chip prices have raised production costs for electronics like smartphones and laptops
• Signals momentum in India's semiconductor manufacturing push under the India Semiconductor Mission

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Science & Tech / Economy — semiconductor self-reliance, electronics manufacturing, supply-chain resilience and the India Semiconductor Mission.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Memory chips (e.g., DRAM/NAND) store data; distinct from logic/processor chips
• India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) operates under MeitY
• Higher chip prices feed into costs of smartphones and laptops

🔑 Key Term: Semiconductor fab — a fabrication facility that manufactures integrated circuits (chips) from silicon wafers.