PM Shehbaz launches Pakistan’s national semiconductor initiative 'INSPIRE'

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday launched INSPIRE — Pakistan’s Initiative to Nurture Semiconductor Professionals for Industry, Research & Education, marking a significant step toward the country’s transition to a knowledge-based digital economy and entry into the $600 billion global semiconductor ecosystem.

The initiative, led by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) and executed by the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), aims to position Pakistan as a competitive player in the global semiconductor industry, which is projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2030.

In this address, Prime Minister Shehbaz said Allah Almighty had bestowed Pakistan with abundance of natural resources and benefiting from these resources was the core responsibility of the government.

He said the Planning Ministry, under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), had allocated Rs4.5 billion for the programme, adding that funding would not be an obstacle to its success.

In her remarks, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja reaffirmed the government’s commitment to developing a digitally empowered Pakistan.

Chairman of the National Semiconductor Task Force Dr. Naveed Sherwani briefed the audience on the strategic roadmap and underlined Pakistan’s opportunity to build a world-class semiconductor ecosystem.

CEO of PSEB Abu Bakar described INSPIRE as a cornerstone project in building Pakistan’s indigenous technological capacity.

“Under the guidance of IT ministry, PSEB is proud to execute this program, which will train thousands of professionals and link academia, research, and industry to develop a sustainable national semiconductor ecosystem,” he stated.

Under the first phase, INSPIRE aims to train 7,200 professionals over five years in semiconductor design, verification, and research, engaging nine public-sector universities across Pakistan’s northern, central, and southern regions. It will also establish six Integrated Circuit (IC) labs nationwide.

As the first phase of Pakistan’s broader National Semiconductor Development Roadmap, INSPIRE will lay the foundation for future Outsourced Assembly & Testing (OSAT) and fabrication capabilities, enabling Pakistan to take part in the global semiconductor supply chain.