<p>On 16‑17 May 2026, Prime Minister <strong>Narendra Modi</strong> visited the Netherlands and signed 17 agreements covering semiconductors, critical minerals, defence, migration and renewable energy. The most news‑worthy outcome was a Memorandum of Understanding between <span class="key-term" data-definition="ASML — Dutch company that is the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, critical for manufacturing advanced semiconductor chips (GS3: Economy/Technology)">ASML</span> and Tata Electronics to set up a 300 mm (12‑inch) semiconductor fabrication plant in <strong>Dholera, Gujarat</strong>. This marks a decisive step in India’s quest to build a domestic chip ecosystem.</p>
<h3>Key Developments</h3>
<ul>
<li>MoU between Tata Electronics and <span class="key-term" data-definition="ASML — Dutch company that is the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, critical for manufacturing advanced semiconductor chips (GS3: Economy/Technology)">ASML</span> for a 300 mm fab in Dholera.</li>
<li>India and the Netherlands elevated ties to a <span class="key-term" data-definition="Strategic Partnership — a bilateral framework between India and the Netherlands (2026‑30) to cooperate on semiconductors, critical minerals, defence, migration and renewable energy (GS2: Polity)">Strategic Partnership</span> with a five‑year roadmap (2026‑30).</li>
<li>Memorandum of Cooperation linking Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente and six Indian institutes (IISc Bangalore, IIT‑Bombay, IIT‑Delhi, IIT‑Gandhinagar, IIT‑Guwahati, IIT‑Madras) to create a "brain bridge" for semiconductor research.</li>
<li>Approval of 12 chip plants under the <span class="key-term" data-definition="India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) — a government initiative launched in 2021 to build a full‑stack semiconductor ecosystem, covering fabs, packaging, design and related R&D (GS3)">India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)</span>, including a Rs 3,068 crore GaN‑based plant for Mini/Micro‑LED modules.</li>
<li>Joint defence and migration pacts to coordinate tri‑service cooperation and combat irregular migration.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Important Technical Facts</h3>
<ul>
<li><span class="key-term" data-definition="EUV lithography — a photolithography process that uses 13.5 nm wavelength extreme ultraviolet light to print circuit patterns, enabling sub‑10 nm chip features (GS3)">EUV lithography</span> prints patterns by projecting light through a mask onto a photosensitive silicon wafer; the wafer is then shifted for the next exposure.</li>
<li>The 13.5 nm wavelength is close to the x‑ray range, allowing much finer feature sizes than older deep‑ultraviolet tools.</li>
<li><span class="key-term" data-definition="Moore’s Law — observation by Intel co‑founder Gordon Moore that the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years, driving continual performance improvement (GS3: Technology)">Moore’s Law</span> continues be
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