India seeks Dutch knowhow in semiconductor push

By Toby Sterling

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, March 4 (Reuters) - A commercialized delegation from India visited the Dutch semiconductor hub of Eindhoven connected Wednesday to sermon ‌investment opportunities arsenic New Delhi accelerates its efforts to physique a home ‌chip industry.

India has pledged billions of dollars successful subsidies to pull semiconductor fabrication plants and related ​manufacturing, with 8 projects underway including a $14 cardinal Tata Electronics installation successful Gujarat.

Meanwhile, Dutch semiconductor firms are seeking caller markets and geographical diversification amid export controls and commercialized restrictions linked to U.S.-China exertion rivalry.

“It’s wide determination are opportunities for Dutch firms, successful ‌the archetypal spot for instrumentality ⁠exports,” and aboriginal arsenic a basal for manufacturing, fixed India’s ample engineering workforce, said Michiel Smit of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

Manish Hooda, ⁠technology manager astatine the India Semiconductor Mission said Dutch firms pursuing a “China-plus-one” manufacturing strategy should see India arsenic their accumulation basal extracurricular China.

“We are rather unfastened if they are ​interested ​in mounting up operations successful India,” Hooda ​said.

The Eindhoven portion is location to ‌leading spot instrumentality shaper ASML and dozens of its apical suppliers. Chipmaker NXP Semiconductors is besides headquartered there.

ASML disclosed past week it plans to unfastened a enactment bureau successful India. A spokesperson declined to springiness further details.

India’s subsidy programme launched successful 2021 covered up to 50% of task costs, with authorities governments offering an ‌additional 20% to 25%, Hooda said. A ​second programme slated for support March 30 could ​be adjacent larger, helium added.

Smit said ​about 50 to 60 Dutch firms had requested meetings with ‌the Indian delegation.

Indian engineers already signifier a ​significant portion of ​the Dutch tech workforce. According to statistic bureau CBS, the fig of Indians successful the Netherlands tripled to 89,000 successful 2024 from 2014, with much ​than 10,000 surviving successful ‌the Eindhoven region.

The 2 countries anticipation to denote a strategical concern during ​a planned sojourn by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi aboriginal this ​year.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)