At a time when semiconductor manufacturing capabilities are deciding the power dynamics of the global tech world, Intel India President Gokul V Subramaniam has hailed the nation as a great market for chip manufacturing.
In a conversation with NDTV Profit, Subramaniam highlighted that India remains an attractive market for Intel, more so because of the talent pool the country has to offer.
“India’s a major talent hub for Intel’s AI, semiconductor plans. The country’s engineering and innovation talent will be leveraged,” Subramaniam said.
“Intel has been in India for 25 years. It’s a great market for Intel,” he added.
Intel’s presence in India has been largely in the form of research and engineering rather than manufacturing. The global tech giant entered India back in the 1990s, setting up one of its largest bases outside of the US.
Talking about the role of Intel in India going forward, Subramanian revealed he is working with the government for the upcoming AI summit.
“We’re deploying solutions across cloud, AI, data centres, edge computing in the personal computing space,” he said. “Working with the government to boost the AI Impact Summit. It will be one of the most vibrant summits in the world. Impact of AI will be the focus, not just promise”
To this date, Intel India teams form a crucial backbone of the company’s chip design, validation, software, AI and networking.
However, it must be noted that Intel does not own any semiconductor fab in India. And although the company does sell its Computer Processing Units (CPUs) in India, sales are not the reason India is a big avenue for Intel.
Earlier this year, Intel signed a pact with Tata to manufacture semiconductors in India.
But in the course of the last 25 years, it is perhaps fair to say that Intel’s presence in India has always been more about high-end engineering talent, not the local consumer market.
Nevertheless, the Intel India president confirmed the company is working with the government to help democratise AI.
“Intel Global CEO Lip-Bu Tan met PM Modi, who gave impetus to Intel’s vision for India. Focus was on democratisation of AI in India,” he concluded.
. Read more on Technology by NDTV Profit.