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Emerging Scholars Series

Vol. 7 (2026): Panoply Journal

India–South Korea Semiconductor Cooperation and Technological Strategic Autonomy

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71166/4s34dr97
Submitted
21 August 2026
Published
24 September 2026

Abstract

Semiconductors have moved from the domain of industrial policy to the center of geopolitical competition, and technological strategic autonomy has become the organizing ambition of states seeking to reduce dependence on concentrated supply chains. This paper examines whether and how India–South Korea semiconductor cooperation advances India's pursuit of technological strategic autonomy. Drawing on a synthesis of academic literature, official policy documents, and think-tank analyses, the paper traces India's semiconductor policy architecture, South Korea's diversification imperative under the US–China chip war, and the institutionalization of bilateral cooperation culminating in the India–Republic of Korea Strategic Vision 2026–2030. The analysis finds real complementarity in the partnership: India brings design talent, market scale, and a policy-driven manufacturing push, while South Korea brings fabrication, packaging, and supply-chain integration expertise. The paper's key move, though, is redefining strategic autonomy — not as self-sufficiency, but as reduced vulnerability within a system both countries still depend on. The cooperation carries risks of a governance trap in which security narratives expand state intervention without delivering resilience, and of replacing dependence on one set of partners with dependence on another. The paper concludes that India–Korea cooperation can meaningfully advance India's strategic autonomy, provided it is embedded in a diversified, multi-partner strategy rather than treated as a substitute for domestic capability building.  

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