India poised to approve Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor chip plan

The Indian government is set to approve a plan by Vedanta and Foxconn to manufacture semiconductor chips in the country. The plan, which is being supported by the $10 billion India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), would see India become a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing.

Vedanta Foxconn Semiconductors Limited (VFSL) has signed agreements with two companies, GlobalFoundries and STMicroelectronics, to facilitate technology transfer. The details of these two companies have been submitted to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The government has also directed VFSL to submit details of a "binding technology transfer agreement" with either of the two companies.

The IT Ministry is the nodal ministry for the ISM and has suggested that GlobalFoundries and STMicroelectronics acquire a stake in VFSL. Both companies have responded positively to the suggestion and their proposals are awaited.

VFSL is a joint venture between India's Vedanta Group and Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn). The two companies have 63% and 37% stakes in the company, respectively.

The company is initially looking to invest Rs 66,000 crore (US$8.7 billion) to set up a semiconductor manufacturing facility at Dholera in Gujarat. The joint venture has planned a total of Rs 1.54 lakh crore (US$20.4 billion) in investments for the Dholera facility.

The approval of the Vedanta-Foxconn plan is a major step towards India's goal of becoming a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing. The government is hoping that the plan will help to reduce India's dependence on imports for semiconductors and boost the domestic manufacturing sector.

The approval of the plan is also a major boost for the ISM, which was launched in 2021 with the aim of attracting investment in the semiconductor manufacturing sector in India. The ISM has already received commitments of over $10 billion from global companies, including Vedanta-Foxconn.

The approval of the Vedanta-Foxconn plan is a positive development for the Indian economy and is expected to create jobs and boost exports. The plan is also expected to help India to become a global leader in the semiconductor manufacturing sector.