New Delhi: India and the US have announced a landmark partnership to establish a national security semiconductor fabrication plant in India. This project will produce advanced chips for military hardware and next-generation telecommunications. The announcement came after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in Wilmington, marking a significant step forward in the strategic tech collaboration between the two nations.

In a joint fact sheet released following the talks, the leaders praised the semiconductor project as a "watershed arrangement" and the first-ever semiconductor fabrication collaboration between India and the US. The fabrication plant will focus on advanced sensing, communication, and power electronics, with applications in national security, telecommunications, and green energy.

The project, supported by India's semiconductor mission, will be developed in partnership with Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech, and the US Space Force. The plant will manufacture semiconductors including infrared, gallium nitride, and silicon carbide.

The joint statement also highlighted GlobalFoundries' (GF) efforts to enhance semiconductor supply chains, particularly with the establishment of the GF Kolkata Power Center. Both leaders recognised these developments as crucial for research, development, and resilient supply chains in chip manufacturing.

Additionally, Modi and Biden lauded broader cooperation in 5G and next-generation telecommunications, including the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) expansion of the Asia Open RAN Academy to South Asia, including India, with a $7 million investment.

These agreements were made during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US to attend the Quad summit and the 'Summit of the Future' at the United Nations General Assembly. /BI