General Atomics and 3rdiTech invest Rs 1.26 lakh crore to enhance India’s electronics manufacturing sector, co-developing semiconductor design for precision-guided ammunition and national security electronics.
3rdiTech, a US-based semiconductor manufacturing company, and General Atomics, an American energy and defence corporation, announced Rs 1.26 lakh crore investment to boost India’s electronics manufacturing sector. This strategic partnership focuses on co-developing semiconductor designs for precision-guided ammunition and other national security electronics.
On Monday, India and the US revealed a historic collaboration in semiconductors, AI, and defence, aiming to remove trade barriers. The India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), led by Indian NSA Ajit Doval and US NSA Jake Sullivan, fosters cooperation on supply chains, semiconductors, and critical minerals. Additionally, both nations also plan joint investments in lithium and rare earth projects and establish an Advanced Materials R&D Forum for technological collaboration in vital minerals.
The US and India aim to ensure a reliable supply of critical minerals essential for clean energy technologies and other industries. Promoting India’s role in the Mineral Security Partnership, they co-invest in a lithium resource project in South America and a rare earth deposit in Africa, diversifying critical mineral supply chains responsibly.
The countries agreed to establish an India-US Advanced Materials R&D Forum to expand collaboration between universities, national laboratories, and private sector researchers. They commit to concluding a bilateral Critical Minerals Memorandum of Understanding and driving cooperation in critical mineral supply chains, including graphite, gallium, and germanium. Exploring opportunities in the sector, they focus on Neodymium-iron-boron metal, alloy, and magnet making, as well as advanced research collaboration on lithium, titanium, gallium, and vanadium. The US and India built a program between their geological surveys for exploring and evaluating rare earth elements and critical mineral deposits.
Semiconductors, essential for defence, automobiles, and telecommunications sectors, have become a critical geopolitical battleground, with the US, Japan, and China investing heavily in domestic capabilities. This engagement with Indian and US investors aims to build India’s robust semiconductor and information communication technology ecosystem.
Tata Electronics and Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (PSMC) established India’s first semiconductor fabrication plant in Dholera, Gujarat. Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt Ltd (TSAT) sets up a semiconductor unit in Morigaon, Assam. CG Power, in partnership with Renesas Electronics Corp. of Japan and Stars Microelectronics of Thailand, established a semiconductor unit in Sanand, Gujarat.
