No fab plans but eyes on massive laptop manufacturing ecosystem: Intel India MD
NEW DELHI : Intel has no plans to set up a semiconductor fabrication unit in India in the near future and is unlikely to expand its manufacturing capacities for other products, said the company’s India managing director Santosh Viswanathan. The technology major is instead focusing on enabling ecosystem players in the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme to scale up electronics manufacturing chains in the country, which he said would lead to more job creation. “At this point in time, we don’t have any plans to do a fab or build any manufacturing capacity in India at this stage, but it doesn’t mean the engagement stops.
We are constantly engaged on the conversation of building the infrastructure and really set it up for the years ahead," Viswanathan said. He added that while India’s policies on making the country a semiconductor hub will bear fruit, Intel takes into consideration factors such as proximity to clients, supply chain, target markets, shipping rates, and geopolitical stability, besides local incentives since the plans require heavy capital investments. “If you look at a leading edge fab, it takes about $10-20 billion to build one.
It’s a very complex ecosystem. One will need to figure out materials, suppliers, location, and not just labour but the entire ecosystem around it," he said. Besides the basic requirements of water and land, such plants would also need 350 megawatts of power every day, in addition to the right regulatory environment, processes to run waste management, and more capital and financing from the government.
“It’s not whether India will become a semiconductor hub, it definitely will. But it’s just that we got to go address all of these factors. Once we start building the foundation for
. Read more on livemint.com
