TCS, KLA, Applied among 35 firms eyeing SCL Mohali rejig

The companies are expected to submit their bids by 16 April for the ₹4,000 crore contract

- Jatin Grover

Plans to upgrade India's lone state-owned chip fabrication unit have picked up pace, with the Centre meeting 35 companies last month in a bid to evaluate their roles in a potential deal that is worth ₹4,000 crore.

According to two executives aware of the matter, companies like TCS, HCLTech, Israel-based Tower Semiconductors, and US firms such as Applied Materials, KLA Corporation, and IBM, among others, are vying for the opportunity to bring the existing 180-nanometre (nm) semiconductor production line of Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali up to speed and eventually move into more advanced chips.

These companies are expected to submit their bids soon, one of the executives said on condition of anonymity. The last day to submit bids is 16 April.