NEW DELHI: In a major endorsement for the country’s $10 billion stimulus plans for semiconductor manufacturing, global chip design major Qualcomm on Tuesday said it is ready to reassure chip purchases in India, such as Global Foundry, Samsung, TSMC, or other top companies suppliers start making them here.
Put your money to work and only $250. Start earning a potential second income with Qualcomm Inc Global President and CEO Cristiano R Amon said India is likely to lead in the 5G space, and the push will be in the consumer and enterprise sectors, leading to an increased need for semiconductors and chips.
Qualcomm currently procures its semiconductor needs from a mix of companies that includes Global Foundry, Samsung and TSMC, although none of them are currently manufacturing in India. Asked whether this would prompt companies to shift a part of their manufacturing, or future expansion, to India by assuring them of purchases, he told “…I think the answer to your question is (that) if our suppliers are motivated to manufacture, and they have the right incentives to manufacture in India, we’re going to use their fab.”
The Qualcomm boss’ statement should come as a major comfort factor for chip makers, who are currently being lured by countries around the world but doubt greenfield expansion without support from customers who buy from them.
Amon said Qualcomm is betting heavily on engineering talent to drive cutting edge 5G advancements in the country. With this, more than half of the US company’s engineering talent will be outside India.
“India is one of the fastest growing regions for Qualcomm, [and] we were probably one of the pioneers in advanced semiconductor design here. When you look at our presence in India, we have around 18,000 employees. Most of all. IT engineers drive R&D in hardware and software for our global product portfolio.
So, I would have the courage to say that soon almost half of our Qualcomm employees are going to be based in Qualcomm India. Amon said India will play an “incredible role” in fueling Qualcomm’s future growth. “…we are inseparable from India. ,
On 5G, he said it has the potential to bring scale when it comes to fixed wireless access for mobile devices, computers and broadband in India. “When we look at the 5G growth opportunities in India, I see many and very significant opportunities. They can all happen at the same time.