India still on priority list for manufacturing: Intel

India still on priority list for manufacturing: Intel
BS Reporter / New Delhi September 05, 2007

India still remains high on the list of manufacturing sites for Intel - the world's largest chip-maker.

"Manufacturing in India is important for Intel, but the government was slow in coming out with its semiconductor manufacturing proposal and missed the window. We had to commit ourselves to options like Vietnam and China," said Craig Barrett, chairman, Intel, who was here today.

"We don't have any plan to set up a plant here now. We have enough capacity in the current manufacturing plants, and do not need any new plant," he added.

In the absence of a well-documented plan for the semiconductor policy by the government when Intel began its discussions, the chip-maker announced its $2.5 billion investment to build a micro-chip plant in north-eastern China in March. This will be Intel's first semiconductor plant in Asia with the production of chipsets to begin in 2010.

The company is also in "serious talks" with the Indian government government and private companies for rolling out WiMAX infrastructure. "We are a major contributor to base technology, hence WiMAX is also of importance to us," said Barrett who has advised the government to "use the spectrum allocation with the best possible technology and not specific to any technology."

According to a report by research firms Maravedis and Tonse Telecom, India will have 13 million WiMAX subscribers by 2012. French technology major Alcatel has already set up a research and development centre in Chennai to develop WiMAX technology, and trial runs have been on in Baramati, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore.

Barrett was in Delhi to announce the collaboration between Intel’s World Ahead Programme with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco). Intel has partnered with 16 organisations including NIIT, Educomp Solutions, Fortis Healthcare, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Apollo in India, to provide the progamme their expertise in connectivity, education and medical care.

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