Conducting competition

Infrastructure companies are in a race to win the order for a semiconductor fabrication unit, recently approved by the Cabinet. Consider the fact that infrastructure mammoth GMR Group, led by Chairman GM Rao, has not only expressed its interest but also approached the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, and is currently on the lookout for technology partners. The Centre will sponsor about 40 per cent of the complex technology project, which costs around Rs 25,000 crore. GMR's entry into the race has elevated the existing cutthroat competition with its corporate rivals like Jaypee Associates and Hindustan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, who have already been given 'in-principle' approval by the Cabinet to build two fabrication units costing over Rs 50,000 crore. Will GMR's vast expertise work in its favour? Time will tell.