Nagpur: The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), in partnership with the US Consulate, is preparing a white paper on advancing the semiconductor industry in India. The white paper, that will address requirements of the domestic industry, will also include the American counterpart’s perspective, especially issues like maintaining intellectual property rights while transferring the technology to India, said sources.
Expected to be ready by June, the white paper will be submitted to the Centre along with state govts of Maharashtra and Gujarat, as well as the US Consulate and other stakeholders. With the first round of meeting with stakeholders held in Mumbai, the second roundtable meet was held in Nagpur on Friday. Meetings will also be held in Pune and Ahmedabad before a final report is prepared, said IACC officials.
The inputs so far indicate that the Indian industry is looking forward to acquiring technology from the US. The Americans, on the other hand, may consider sharing the technology with evolving intellectual property rights (IPR) ecosystem in India, said sources part of the meeting. Since the semiconductor industry is capital-intensive, Indian players on the other hand are looking for incentives from the govt, said sources.
Brenda Soya, the Officer for Public Affairs in the US Consulate, was also present at the meeting in Nagpur. A press release issued by the US Consulate General quoted Soya saying that the meetings are in line with the Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) initiative reaffirmed by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US-India joint statement following their meeting on January 13. It aims to strengthen technological innovation in the sector.
The initiative brings together govt officials, academia, and the private sector to discuss trends, challenges, and policy recommendations for strengthening technological innovation in the sector.
The meeting in Nagpur included industrialists and academicians. Joint director of industries Gajendra Bharti said, “Maharashtra govt already has a specific industrial policy for the semiconductor sector. The suggestions from the stakeholders will be taken forward.” Bharti said that Maharashtra has the most competitive policy to promote investment in the sector.
A draft prepared by the IACC, after the meeting in Mumbai, points out that the incentives offered by the Maharashtra govt at present are largely focused on the manufacturing of semiconductors. There is a growing requirement to incentivise the entire semiconductor supply chain also. The state can formulate a comprehensive policy on these lines.
Since India is still in the growing stage in the semiconductor sector, it is important to have bilateral agreements with nations to ensure a continuous supply of certain components needed in the manufacturing process. The draft also points out that it is critical to fast-track the overall process for obtaining intellectual property rights in respect of semiconductor fabrication and chip manufacturing, says the draft.
US chamber to promote Mihan
The Indian American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) also visited the Mihan-SEZ. A letter of expression of interest was offered to the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) by the chamber, showing willingness to attract American investment to the SEZ. MADC, a state govt company, is the SEZ’s developer.