The minister said Singapore or entities based in the country command a 20 per cent share in the semiconductor equipment production globally. 

Singapore home affairs and law minister K Shanmugam said Tata Sons will prefer Singapore as ‘key partner’ for its semiconductor plans. 

While talking to media persons after meeting with Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, Shanmugam said semiconductors was a “big discussion” point during the meeting.

Shanmugam said, “If they (Tatas) want to, they can do business with anybody in the world. It’s not that they need to do it in Singapore, but they will, I think, choose Singapore as a key partner, not only partner, but as a key partner.” 

Citing Tata Group’s presence in Singapore over five decades, the minister said Singapore is a “serious and reliable player” in the international semiconductor industry.

The minister said Singapore or entities based in the country command a 20 per cent share in the semiconductor equipment production globally. 

Shanmugam further added that Singapore is home to 25 semiconductor foundries while acknowledging that the level of sophistication at which these work may not be the best in the world.

Notably, the Tata Group has ambitious plans on the semiconductor manufacturing front which include investment of Rs 91,000 crore for a facility in Gujarat and Rs 27,000 crore for another in Assam. It has partnered with Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) for the venture.