The Hindu Business Line : `India may miss the chip bus'

Opportunities abound with industry experts stating that there is an urgent need for intelligent components such as body sensors, biochips, micro-devices.

As of now however countries such as Taiwan, Korea and even China are ahead of India on the semiconductor supply chain.

"Infrastructure development needs to expedited. Ten years is a long time and nothing has happened so far. In China chip design and manufacturing has already started. The question now being asked by the industry is why choose (India) for other than software. India has to seize the opportunity," cautioned Mr Bob Hoekstra, CEO, Philips Software Centre Pvt Ltd.

Addressing the conference on `Semiconductor industry in India: The next big thing' organised by the ISA (India Semiconductor Association) as part of the ongoing Bangalore IT.Com here on Tuesday, Mr Hoekstra urged IT firms engaged in the semiconductor industry to start product development that would benefit the masses.

Besides bridging the digital divide through technology innovations, participants at the ISA Conference also urged the industry to collaborate with the academia and the Government to accelerate India's momentum in the global semiconductor supply chain.

According to Mr Rajinder Singh, CTO, FTD Singapore & IME Singapore, the Government of India should promote fab foundries by setting up of industrial clusters that could house IC design firms, testing and wafer manufacture.