The story of India’s chip dream that almost was: Indira Gandhi, Zail Singh and a fire in Mohali

India is in catch-up mode in the global semiconductor race. New projects are cropping up from shore to shore, with Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Assam emerging as the country’s semiconductor manufacturing hubs. And yet, the journey isn’t entirely new for India. Long before the chip wars dictated global foreign policy, and decades before Taiwan, China and South Korea transformed into semiconductor titans, India had already dared to tread this path. And then, in 1989, that dream went up in flames. Literally. A massive, mysterious fire ripped through the Semiconductor Complex Limited (SCL)—India’s state-of-the-art chipmaking facility. What caused the fire? Was it an accident or sabotage? But perhaps the more pressing question is: Did India miss the semiconductor bus that night? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exclusive content, special privileges & more – Subscribe to ThePrint for Special benefits: https://tinyurl.com/4ymm9wh5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with ThePrint » Subscribe to ThePrint: https://tinyurl.com/4ymm9wh5 » Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3nCMpht » Like us on Facebook:   / theprintindia   » Tweet us on Twitter:   / theprintindia   » Follow us on Instagram:   / theprintindia   » Find us on LinkedIn :   / theprint   » Subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram: https://t.me/ThePrintIndia » Find us on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2NMVlnB » Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pEOta8