《TAIPEI TIMES》 Hon Hai, Vedanta plant could be running in 2025

/ Staff writer with CNA, NEW DELHI

A joint venture by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co （鴻海精密） and India’s Vedanta Ltd to build a semiconductor plant in Gujarat state, India, could start producing 12-inch wafers using the 28-nanometer process in 2025, a Vedanta executive said on Sunday.

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Last month, Indian media reported that the two firms had signed a US$19.5 billion investment pact to set up a semiconductor factory in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi.

Akarsh Hebbar, Vedanta’s global managing director of display and semiconductor business, on Sunday offered new details on what the project would entail.

The companies are looking at Dholera, where they are close to finalizing a 162-hectare plot for the plant, Hebbar said.

They plan to begin operations at the plant in 2025 or 2026, producing 12-inch wafers based on the 28-nanometer process, which is widely used in appliances, automobiles and mobile phones, he said.

After opening, the facility would take about one year to ramp up production, after which it would be producing about 40,000 wafers per month, mainly for the Indian market, Hebbar said.

He said he was confident that the project would be able to overcome some of the challenges to manufacturing chips in India, such as access to relevant supply chains, and sufficient water and power resources.

Specifically, he cited his own company’s experience with clean room technology, which is required for semiconductor manufacturing, as well as utility guarantees and subsidies that the project has received from the state government.

In terms of supply chains, Hebbar said that the project would bring together an “ecosystem” of more than 100 international subcontractors at the factory, thus enhancing its operational efficiency.

Media reports last month said that Hon Hai, known internationally as Foxconn Technology Group （富士康科技集團）, would act as a technical partner, while funding would come mainly from Vedanta, a mining conglomerate that has recently sought to diversify into chip manufacturing.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES