Nations across the world are gearing towards getting semiconductor manufacturing in-house. So is India, with its Rs 76,000 crore financial incentive scheme. India is trying to bring not just manufacturing but a part of the entire chip ecosystem to the country. Foreseeing the growing demand for chips in the coming years, leading foundries (that manufacture chips) are already expanding their manufacturing base. Intel, too, has committed huge investments in fabs (semiconductor manufacturing plants) in the U.S. and Europe. As India is still in a wait-and-watch mode, most wonder if Intel will build a semiconductor plant in the country.
Well, this isn’t wishful thinking. After all, the company had attempted the same multiple times in the past, in 1969 and again in 2005. But is India a bit too late, and is Intel willing to invest now is the question?
Robert Noyce, the co-founder of Intel, visited India in 1969 to explore the opportunity of setting up a semiconductor manufacturing facility in the country. Unfortunately, at that time, the government told him he could only set up a fab that would not exceed hundreds of thousands of chips, [which was] a complete non-starter.
Once again, in 2005-06, leading chip giant Intel had planned to set up a multi-billion-dollar investment in India, but the then government was slow in coming up with the semiconductor manufacturing proposal.
