Qualcomm Achieves 2nm Tape-Out, Boosting India’s Semiconductor Ambitions
Published: 10 Feb 2026
Author: Precedence Research
Qualcomm has completed the tape-out of a 2nm chip design, marking a key milestone in India’s growing role in advanced semiconductor development. The work was carried out across its Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad engineering centers, highlighting the country’s contribution to global chip design amid the government’s India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 push. While the chip won’t be manufactured in India, the tape-out underscores that Indian teams are now engaged in some of the most advanced stages of semiconductor design.
In the field of semiconductor development, “tape-out” is a critical milestone that signifies the completion of a chip’s design. At this stage, the entire layout and architecture of the chip are finalized, and the design data is sent to a semiconductor foundry for fabrication. Essentially, tape-out marks the transition from the design and engineering phase to the manufacturing phase, where the theoretical design is transformed into a physical chip. Once tape-out is complete, the chip enters production, followed by rigorous testing and validation processes to ensure it meets performance, reliability, and quality standards before being integrated into commercial products. This stage is crucial because any errors discovered after tape-out can be costly and time-consuming to correct, making it a defining moment in the semiconductor lifecycle.
Qualcomm announced that it has successfully completed the tape-out of a 2nm chip design, marking its work as part of the forefront of today’s semiconductor technology. The term “2nm” refers to an advanced manufacturing node, which is commonly used to indicate greater transistor density, enhanced power efficiency, and superior performance compared with older, larger nodes. Developing chips at this level is also far more complex and costly, demanding sophisticated design tools, extensive engineering teams, and extended development timelines.
It’s important to note that tape-out marks a design milestone, not local manufacturing, as advanced chip fabrication is still done by a few global foundries. The significance lies in the fact that the design work is being executed from India. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted India’s growing role in advanced semiconductor design, praising Qualcomm’s engineering capabilities and stating that milestones like this showcase the country’s progress toward a globally competitive semiconductor ecosystem.
The announcement coincides with the government’s expanded semiconductor initiative under India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0 in the 2026–27 Union Budget. Under ISM 1.0, approved in 2021, the government introduced a Rs 76,000 crore incentive framework to support silicon fabs, compound semiconductor units, chip assembly and testing facilities, and design companies.
As of December 2025, the government has approved 10 semiconductor projects across six states with a total investment of around Rs 1.60 lakh crore, including Micron’s assembly and test facility in Gujarat, Tata Electronics’ fabrication and packaging projects in Gujarat and Assam, and a joint venture between CG Power, Renesas, and STARS Microelectronics, along with initiatives from Kaynes Technology, SiCSem, and others focused on packaging, testing, and specialized manufacturing.
In parallel, the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme is strengthening India’s chip design ecosystem, supporting over two dozen design startups, enabling multiple tape-outs from startups and academic institutions, and providing access to advanced tools through a national EDA platform.