Semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials has sought approvals from the Karnataka government for setting up a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for innovation and an R&D lab at Whitefield in Bengaluru.
This was discussed on Wednesday with Karnataka’s minister for large and medium industries & infrastructure development, MB Patil, who is on a 12-day tour of the US.
Earlier, the California-headquartered company had said it is planning to invest USD 400 million to set up an engineering centre in Bengaluru over the next four years.
Patil and his team also held talks with US-based network gear maker Juniper Networks and memory chip maker Western Digital for potential investment or expansion opportunities.
Applied Materials’ executives urged the government to expedite the process of issuing pre-construction approvals to set up the proposed lab. They also discussed the importance of chemicals and gases needed for the semiconductor ecosystem and the ease of doing business.
Prabu G Raja, president of semiconductor products group, and Srinivas Satya, corporate vice president and managing director of Applied Materials India, also discussed establishing a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for innovation with the support of the state government.
The Patil-led delegation visited Applied Materials’ Maydan Technology Center, a facility dedicated to advanced chip-making.
In another meeting with San Francisco-headquartered Juniper Networks Inc., the delegation discussed issues including enhancement of its R&D capabilities in the state, exploration of hardware manufacturing along with supplier ecosystem, policies, and incentives in Karnataka.
The two sides also delved into renewable energy plans for business operations and government partnership on establishing a Centre of Excellence for design and wireless products by March 2024.
Juniper Networks has the largest development centre in Karnataka, employing 4,000 people.
Western Digital, which has a large R&D presence in Bengaluru, discussed custom-related issues with the Indian officials, since it is into hard disk drive development, and ways to improve ease of doing business.
