Tech Desk: India’s burgeoning semiconductor industry must brace for a wave of cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and physical sabotage, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has cautioned. Drawing parallels to Apple’s manufacturing expansion in India, Vaishnaw revealed that the country has already experienced coordinated attempts to disrupt its growing technological footprint.

The minister highlighted instances of alleged food poisoning, cut electricity wires, and ‘fabricated reporting’—even singling out Reuters—during Apple’s iPhone assembly rollout. He characterized these as deliberate tactics by entities uncomfortable with India’s ascent as a global manufacturing hub, asserting that they ‘tried all tricks’ to undermine the nation’s progress.

As India rapidly builds its semiconductor ecosystem and attracts significant global attention, Vaishnaw emphasized the critical need for all stakeholders to remain vigilant and prepared. The warning underscores the strategic importance of semiconductors to India’s economic and technological future, signaling that the path to self-reliance will be fraught with challenges requiring robust defense mechanisms against multifaceted threats.