New Delhi, March 13 -- India is set to announce a Rs.1 lakh crore fund to accelerate its domestic chipmaking industry, a move aimed at both making the country an indispensable part of the global electronics supply chain and building self-reliance. HT learns that the IT ministry has sought in excess of Rs.1 lakh crore for the second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission, or ISM 2.0. People familiar with the matter said that an announcement on ISM 2.0 could come by end-April. The first phase of the mission was a Rs.76,000 crore incentive scheme that attracted investments of about Rs.1.6 lakh crore. Under this, till December last year, 10 projects were approved, with four expected to begin chip production this year, across six states under the first phase. These include silicon fabrication units, silicon carbide fabs, advanced and memory packaging facilities, and specialised assembly and testing infrastructure. "Phase 2 will involve additional fresh funding, as the funds allocated under the first phase have already been committed to approved projects. The Rs.76,000 crore outlay will be disbursed as these projects are implemented," said a senior IT ministry official, requesting anonymity. ISM 2.0 is expected to place greater emphasis on strengthening India's semiconductor design ecosystem, developing critical equipment and materials used in chip manufacturing, and building end-to-end Indian intellectual property (IP)across the semiconductor value chain. It will also focus on securing supply chains and creating a long-term roadmap for India to move towards advanced chip technologies such as 3-nanometre and 2-nanometre nodes....