We plan to invest $100 million in 3 years to support India's mission for semiconductor self-reliance

The company aims to become a leading OSAT company in India in the next five years.

- RITWIK MUKHERJEE

It wants to produce millions of chips daily and serve clients across the electronics, telecom, and automotive sectors. It also plans to expand into advanced chip packaging. The company plans to invest $100 million over the next three years in five phases with the focus on packaging legacy-device chips used in electronics and appliances. The total fund will be divided across several key areas—expansion of cleanrooms, installation of new production lines, buying advanced packaging equipment, hiring skilled engineers, and training local talent.

Speaking to The Statesman, Shetal Mehta, Co-Founder of Suchi Semicon, delves at length on various issues and outlines Suchi Semicon's roadmap to support India's mission for semiconductor self-reliance.

Excerpts:

Q: How did the COVID-19 pandemic and India's reliance on semiconductor imports influence the decision to start Suchi Semicon?

A: During COVID-19, global chip shortages caused major disruptions, and India realised it was heavily dependent on imported semiconductors. This situation made us think deeply. Prime Minister Modi's call for self-reliance inspired us. At Suchi Group, we were already strong in textiles. We saw an opportunity to support India's growth in technology by entering the semiconductor space. After detailed research, we understood the gap in domestic chip packaging and testing. This led to the formation of Suchi Semicon in 2023. Our goal was to reduce dependency, build domestic strength, and support India's mission to become a global chip manufacturing hub. The pandemic pushed us to act faster and contribute meaningfully to the semiconductor ecosystem.

Q: Suchi Semicon began commercial production within months of its inception. What strategies and preparations enabled this swift transition from trial runs to full-scale manufacturing?