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Intel keen on India: Minister
By agencies
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Monday, 05 December 2005, 20:30 IST
CHENNAI: The Chairman of Intel Corporation, Craig Barrett, met the Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Dayanidhi Maran, at his residence in Chennai.
After the meeting though Barrett refused to speak to the press, the Minister said the company would announce its plans later.
He said, Intel Corporation is very serious about its India plans, adding, but it was up to Intel to disclose its plans. Asked if the Government of India had decided on Intel's earlier demand to co-invest in a chip assembly and testing project, Maran said, talks on the subject were still on and that part is not yet over.
Though he refused to give further information on the subject, informed sources said that the Government might not be keen on investing in any chip assembly project. There are a few Indian companies that do such jobs such as Chennai-based SPIC Semiconductors Ltd.
On Intels inputs in developing a low-cost personal computer, Maran said, the Government's desire is to make PCs for less than $227. The Minister said Intel would develop a new chip, but immediately retracted his statement, saying that he did not mean a "new" chip, but a chip for a low-cost PC.
Maran said, Flextronics and SemIndia had announced projects in India. Only Intel looked like slipping out of hand, but it is now coming back.
In order to set up a chip plant in India, SemIndia, a recently created consortium of overseas Indians, has announced that it would invest $3 billion, for which Advanced Micro Devices will provide technology. Observing that SemIndia is yet to make up its mind about the location of the fab city, where the chips will be produced.