DRDO Leads Semiconductor Session at ESTIC 2026 in Delhi

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) took part in the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026, which ran at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from 27 to 29 October 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the conclave, whose theme was built around creative minds catalysing science and empowering society. Twelve ministries and departments organised it together, guided by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and Nobel laureates, global experts, policy makers and young researchers took part.

The session DRDO chaired

As one of the main organisers, DRDO led the thematic session on semiconductors and next-generation chips. It was chaired by Dr B K Das, Distinguished Scientist and Director General, Electronics and Communication Systems. A panel he moderated included Dr Sheena Rani, Distinguished Scientist and Director General for micro-electronic devices, computational systems and cyber systems. The discussion ranged over purpose-built artificial intelligence systems on a chip, intelligence at the silicon edge and where the microprocessor is headed, and over how DRDO can help industry and start-ups design the next set of chips.

What was on display

At the thematic exhibition DRDO showed its work in two semiconductor areas, both from the Solid State Physics Laboratory in Delhi:

• Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits built on gallium arsenide and gallium nitride, with multi-chip modules, which go into radar and electronic warfare systems and have flown on strategic missions
• Infrared Focal Plane Arrays, the sensing eyes of tactical missiles, which let an imaging infrared seeker find and follow a target in the last phase of flight, covering the short-wave, mid-wave and long-wave infrared bands

The DRDO outreach stall carried quantum technology prototypes, quantum random number generators, photonic integrated circuits, neuromorphic accelerators, scramjet engine technology, laser proximity sensors, high-power pulse laser diodes, extreme-cold-weather clothing, the PRABALA full-body protector for women soldiers, passive and powered exoskeletons and portable hybrid energy systems.

Why chips matter

India wants to be a dependable and self-reliant semiconductor power by 2047, with a lead in chosen next-generation chip technologies. Beyond fabrication, that calls for strength in design, testing, large-scale production and supply chains that do not break. Strategic laboratories and foundries including the Solid State Physics Laboratory, GAETEC, STARC and the Semiconductor Laboratory have built skills in gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, micro-electro-mechanical systems and mature silicon processes.