02-19-2008, 12:53 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>âIndia needs 3-4 fabs to face global competitionâ</b>
Last Updated: Tuesday, 19 February , 2008
Hyderabad: India should plan to have 3-4 semiconductor fabrication facilities (fabs), which should suffice to face global competition, according to top officials of the San Jose, California based, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI). Run-up to Budget 2008-09
There is need for India to emerge as a producer of all kinds of chips (integrated circuits).
Hence, the demand for necessary infrastructure or else the country would be at the mercy of emerging powers like Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan.
SEMI, which sets global standards for the semiconductor industry, would be willing to bring in all the players involved to set up a possible âgreenfieldâ fab in India on a single platform, they said.
<b>Stanley T. Myers, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SEMI, and a veteran in the semiconductor industry, said: âIndia is leading the way in the development of smart cards, mobiles, basic software, navigation for automobiles, low-end laptops, etcâ.</b>
Most of these are silicon based.
To get the momentum going and emerge as a key player, India would require strengths in chip design and manufacture.
The issue is whether to be a complete player or develop key strengths and outsource the others.
India should develop a fully integrated manufacturing system in the semiconductor area, feels Paul L.M. Davis, Executive Vice-President of SEMI.
There is a growing demand for the products in the domestic market, the manufacturing industry offers huge job opportunities, consumer electronics is driving the chip design industry, and hence the country needs to be a complete player, he told Business Line here.
The global semiconductor industry is showing around 8-10 per cent average growth in revenues and 12-15 per cent average growth rate in unit product basis. Growing middle class hunger in both China and India as well as the production areas coming up would drive the growth upwards in the near term, Myers said.
Personal Digital Gadgets seem to be driving the market in emerging economies, while innovations in segments like automobiles, safety devices and consumer electronics are all pushing the chip features further. In fact, silicon mobility is being stretched to its limits, said Myers, who has been closely associated with the industry.
SEMI is currently engaged in the massive exercise of facilitating wafer transition from the present 300 mm to 450 mm or towards more efficient chips. âWe bring in critical decision makers and scientists to discuss issues and then optimise effort and investments, as the transition is getting tougher and expensive,â he said.
With its global presence and more than 1,500 volunteers from all areas of the semiconductor industry, SEMI wants to bring the best to countries and technology developers, Myers said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Last Updated: Tuesday, 19 February , 2008
Hyderabad: India should plan to have 3-4 semiconductor fabrication facilities (fabs), which should suffice to face global competition, according to top officials of the San Jose, California based, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI). Run-up to Budget 2008-09
There is need for India to emerge as a producer of all kinds of chips (integrated circuits).
Hence, the demand for necessary infrastructure or else the country would be at the mercy of emerging powers like Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan.
SEMI, which sets global standards for the semiconductor industry, would be willing to bring in all the players involved to set up a possible âgreenfieldâ fab in India on a single platform, they said.
<b>Stanley T. Myers, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SEMI, and a veteran in the semiconductor industry, said: âIndia is leading the way in the development of smart cards, mobiles, basic software, navigation for automobiles, low-end laptops, etcâ.</b>
Most of these are silicon based.
To get the momentum going and emerge as a key player, India would require strengths in chip design and manufacture.
The issue is whether to be a complete player or develop key strengths and outsource the others.
India should develop a fully integrated manufacturing system in the semiconductor area, feels Paul L.M. Davis, Executive Vice-President of SEMI.
There is a growing demand for the products in the domestic market, the manufacturing industry offers huge job opportunities, consumer electronics is driving the chip design industry, and hence the country needs to be a complete player, he told Business Line here.
The global semiconductor industry is showing around 8-10 per cent average growth in revenues and 12-15 per cent average growth rate in unit product basis. Growing middle class hunger in both China and India as well as the production areas coming up would drive the growth upwards in the near term, Myers said.
Personal Digital Gadgets seem to be driving the market in emerging economies, while innovations in segments like automobiles, safety devices and consumer electronics are all pushing the chip features further. In fact, silicon mobility is being stretched to its limits, said Myers, who has been closely associated with the industry.
SEMI is currently engaged in the massive exercise of facilitating wafer transition from the present 300 mm to 450 mm or towards more efficient chips. âWe bring in critical decision makers and scientists to discuss issues and then optimise effort and investments, as the transition is getting tougher and expensive,â he said.
With its global presence and more than 1,500 volunteers from all areas of the semiconductor industry, SEMI wants to bring the best to countries and technology developers, Myers said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->