Modi Rallies CEOs for India’s Chip Future

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high‑level Semiconductor Roundtable with global CEOs at Seva Teerth, underscoring India’s ambition to become a frontrunner in emerging technologies.

The meeting, held on 16 September 2026, brought together leaders from companies including SEMI, Micron, Infineon, Applied Materials, ASML, Merck, Tokyo Electron Ltd, FujiFilm, AMD, Intel, Tata Electronics, Lam Research, Rapidus, NXP, Foxconn, Semi Conductor Devices, Advantest, Celesta Capital, CG Power, IBM Reserach among others.

Prime Minister Modi urged industry leaders to contribute ideas on policy and administration, assuring their feedback would shape future reforms. He called on them to play an active role in driving the next phase of India’s semiconductor expansion

Key Highlights from the Roundtable

• Government–Industry Collaboration: The Prime Minister emphasized the need for close cooperation between policymakers and industry leaders to shape India’s technology future. He highlighted India’s strong foundation in talent, infrastructure, and technology adoption.
• Emerging Technologies: Modi urged India to aspire to be among the early leaders in areas like Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing. He referenced the ambitious target of training one crore people in AI, noting that India’s talent pool combined with global expertise could unlock vast opportunities.
• Policy Environment: Reiterating the government’s commitment to a predictable and responsive policy framework, the Prime Minister invited CEOs to share suggestions on administrative and policy measures. He assured that industry inputs would be given due consideration.
• Industry Confidence: CEOs praised the government’s sustained efforts under ISM 2.0, expressing confidence in India’s ability to build capabilities across the semiconductor value chain — from manufacturing and R&D to advanced technologies and supporting industries.

Industry Response

The CEOs acknowledged the progress India has made in manufacturing, design, infrastructure, and talent development, and committed to contributing to India’s emergence as a globally competitive semiconductor hub. They noted that recent achievements have created a strong foundation for deeper industry participation.

Strategic Significance

This roundtable marks a shift from foundational efforts to scaling opportunities, positioning India as a serious contender in the global semiconductor race. With strong government backing, industry confidence, and a vast talent pool, India is setting the stage to become a hub for next‑generation technologies.

Indian IT CEO Pay Increased 160% in Last 5 Yrs, While Freshers Pay Rises Only 4%

The salaries of top executives at TCS, Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra have increased by over 160% in the past five years. In contrast, freshers have seen a salary growth of just 4%, from ₹3.6 lakh to ₹4 lakh, according to the data sourced by Moneycontrol.com

The median annual pay for CEOs in FY24 was close to ₹84 crore.

The pay gap between CEOs and freshers is striking. For example, Wipro's ratio stands at 1,702:1, while TCS's ratio is 192:1.

Critics, including former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, have raised concerns about the growing disparity and its detrimental effect on economic consumption. Pai highlighted that rewarding top executives generously while freshers remain underpaid is wrong.

The IT sector is grappling with challenges such as high attrition rates and fewer on-site opportunities, which impact compensation structures. Experts point out that while CEO salaries align with global benchmarks, the growing disparity worsens inequality and negatively affects middle-class workers.

This issue has sparked a debate about the fairness of compensation structures in the IT industry and the need for companies to address the growing wage gap.

Pay Gap Ratios

The pay gap in India's IT sector is quite pronounced. Here are some details about the pay gap at the leading Indian IT companies:

1. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS): The CEO-to-fresher pay ratio is 192:1
2. Infosys: The CEO-to-fresher pay ratio is 677:1.
3. HCL Technologies: The CEO-to-fresher pay ratio is 707:1
4. Wipro: The CEO-to-fresher pay ratio is 1,702:1
5. Tech Mahindra: The CEO-to-fresher pay ratio is 1,383:1

These ratios highlight the significant disparity between the compensation of top executives and entry-level employees in the IT sector. Critics argue that this growing wage gap can negatively impact economic consumption and overall employee morale.