Qualcomm agreed to create roadmap for developing industrial electronics, 6G Labs: Vaishnaw

Chennai: Qualcomm, the largest maker of smartphone processors and the Centre have agreed to a partnership to create a roadmap for developing industrial, automobile, and telecom electronics, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Thursday.

The Union Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology said the US-based Qualcomm also agreed to set up 6G labs, in line with the 100 5G labs, that have been established in the country in association with the Centre and state governments.

Vaishnaw inaugurated the Chennai Design Centre of Qualcomm, Inc which has been set up at an investment of Rs 177.27 crore.

The facility, located on the famous Old Mahabalipuram Road popularly known as the Information Technology Corridor, would specialise in wireless connectivity solutions with a focus on innovations that complement Wi-Fi technologies.

"The Qualcomm Design Centre will have about 1,600 highly talented semiconductor design teams working out of this facility. Tamil Nadu is a great talent state. It has superb talent. It has created so many good technologies and today's Qualcomm Design Centre is one more milestone in Tamil Nadu's talent journey," Vaishnaw told reporters after visiting the Design Centre.

Elaborating about the centre, he said, "What is so special about this centre is that the semiconductor design will be done from end-to-end. For a long time, a large part of design was done in India but here it will be from end to end, the final product, that is what is so special about today's programme. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision is to create an entire value chain of semiconductors in India, starting with its design, fabrication and ATMP (Assembly, Test, Marking and Packaging) facilities." The investment made at the Design Centre would open new doors for semiconductor design in alignment with the 'Make in India' campaign and would unlock growth opportunities for a strong indigenous design ecosystem.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for three semiconductor facilities at an investment of Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

Referring to it, Vaishnaw said Prime Minister Modi has today created an entire semiconductor value chain, an entire ecosystem. And this is the foundation for a developed nation. Because semiconductors are the gateway to the automobile industry, electronics, laptops, servers, mobile phones, consumer electronics, everything that we use in our lives today, the Minister said.

"It is very important to bring this value chain to India. I am so happy with today's inauguration every piece of the value chain (in the semiconductor industry) is being set and in the next term of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, we will build upon this base and create a strong industry in our country", he said.

Earlier, Vaishnaw had brief interaction with Qualcomm, Inc., President and Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon and referring to the meeting, the Minister said Qualcomm has agreed to partner with the Government of India and the state governments to create a roadmap for developing industrial, automobile and telecom electronics.

"We also agreed that like the 100 5G laboratories that were set up in the country, on the same scale we will set up 6G labs in our country so that students can get more opportunities for creating 6G solutions", Vaishnaw said.

"In 5G we have become equal to the world and better than the world. In 6G, we will lead the world. That is the base at which we will work," he said.

Qualcomm in a statement said it has launched a programme supporting 6G University Research in India in line with the Centre's Bharat 6G Vision encouraging academic research and leadership in emerging 6G technologies.