U.S. semiconductor giant Intel and 3DGS Inc. USA will invest approximately USD 3.3 billion to establish a semiconductor substrate manufacturing facility in India's eastern state of Odisha, the Indian government announced on Friday.
The project, which will be developed in the Bhubaneswar-Khurda region over the next five to six years, is expected to create more than 1,800 direct high-skilled jobs and strengthen India's growing semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.
According to Indian authorities, the facility will focus on advanced packaging glass core substrates, high-density interconnect substrates and related semiconductor technologies.
Substrates form a critical component of semiconductor manufacturing, serving as the foundational platform on which semiconductor chips and other electronic components are assembled and interconnected.
The investment comes as India continues efforts to expand its domestic semiconductor industry and reduce dependence on imports for critical technology components. The government has introduced a series of incentive programmes and subsidies aimed at attracting global chipmakers and advanced manufacturing firms to establish operations in the country.
The semiconductor sector has become a key pillar of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's broader "Make in India" initiative, which seeks to position the country as a global manufacturing and technology hub.
The Intel-3DGS project adds to a growing list of major international technology investments announced in India in recent years.
Global technology companies including Micron Technology, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple have expanded their presence in India through manufacturing, cloud infrastructure, data centres, artificial intelligence, research and development, and semiconductor-related investments.
Micron Technology is investing approximately USD 2.75 billion in a semiconductor assembly and testing facility in Gujarat, while Microsoft has announced plans to invest around USD 3 billion in cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in India. Amazon has committed approximately USD 12.7 billion towards expanding cloud infrastructure through Amazon Web Services, while Google has pledged investments of about USD 10 billion under its India Digitisation Fund.
Apple, meanwhile, has significantly expanded manufacturing operations in India through partners including Foxconn and Tata Electronics as part of efforts to diversify global supply chains.
Collectively, technology and semiconductor-related investments announced by major global companies in India over the past few years are estimated to exceed USD 30 billion, reflecting growing confidence in the country's technology sector and manufacturing capabilities.
Industry analysts view the latest Intel-backed project as another step in India's ambition to become a major player in the global semiconductor value chain, particularly in advanced packaging and next-generation chip manufacturing technologies. (SourceL Reuters and news syndicate)
