Tata Electronics Ramps Up Semiconductor Ambitions: Sends Hundreds to Taiwan for Training

Tata Electronics sends hundreds of staff to Taiwan for semicon training

Tata Electronics is sending scores of employees for training to Taiwan as the company's plans for semiconductor fabrication (fab) and assembly and test (OSAT) facility pick up speed, people aware of the developments told ET. So far, the electronics arm of the Tata Group has sent "a couple of hundred" employees to its technology partner Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) for training in specialised skills required to operate the upcoming fab in Dholera, they said. "The number of people going in for training to Taiwan from Tata Electronics has certainly gone up as the company gets closer and is preparing for its fab," one of the persons cited above said. "Talent is the biggest gap." Tata Electronics is following a structured plan as the number of people that PSMC can train at one time is limited, the person said. "About 50 to 75 people are being sent at one go. It's a very methodical, thoughtful process." Tata Electronics' upcoming Rs 91,000-crore fab in Dholera is expected to generate over 20,000 direct and indirect skilled jobs while the Rs 27,000-crore OSAT facility in Assam would create about 27,000 direct and indirect jobs. While speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of the Tata unit at Dholera in March 2024, Union Minister for electronics and information technology Ashwani Vaishnaw predicted that the first chip from Dholera unit will be out by December 2026. The Assam OSAT's first phase is expected to become operational by mid-2025. The person quoted earlier said the company is hiring people in batches of around 75 people, based on different functions. "Different batches focus on distinct operations like equipment, yield engineering, process technology and another on quality engineering - which is generally a smaller group that doesn't need as many people," the person said. It has hired both fresh college graduates and those with a few years of experience in the industry, and "is sending these people to Taiwan for training." Tata Electronics has been doubling down on the talent front, be it hiring top executives from chip makers like Intel and GlobalFoundries, or making its fresh or less experienced employees ready and equipped with the requisite skills. It has hired both fresh college graduates and those with a few years of experience in the industry and "is sending these people to Taiwan for training," the person cited above said. ET had reported on May 26 that the company has appointed Tim McIntosh as vice president and head of operations and manufacturing excellence of Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test (TSAT). McIntosh is the latest senior executive to be hired from Intel, having worked at the US firm for 34 years. In his last role at Intel, he was the advanced packaging factory general manager. Tata Electronics chief executive and managing director Randhir Thakur, too, joined from Intel, where he served as the president of Intel Foundry Services. In April, the company appointed GlobalFoundries' Asia president KC Ang as the president and head of Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing. ET had also reported on June 3 that the company may possibly acquire a Malaysian chip plant as a means to gain on-ground experience of how to run such facilities. As per the firm's agreement with PSMC, the technology partner will provide design and construction support to build India's first AI-enabled state-of-the-art greenfield fab in Gujarat, license a broad portfolio of technologies, and provide engineering support to successfully transfer licensed technologies to the fab. This fab will have manufacturing capacity of up to 50,000 wafers per month and will include next-generation factory automation capabilities deploying data analytics and machine learning to achieve industry-best factory efficiency. Tata Electronics said the fab will manufacture chips for applications such as power management IC, display drivers, microcontrollers (MCU) and high-performance computing logic, addressing the growing demand in markets such as AI, automotive, computing and data storage, and wireless communication.

Tata Electronics Sends Staff To Taiwan For Semicon Training: Report

Tata Electronics has partnered with Taiwan's PSMC to build India's first AI-enabled fab facility in Gujarat's Dholera with an initial investment of INR 91,000 Cr Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd (TEPL) has reportedly sent "a couple of hundred" employees to Taiwan to upskill them as it steps up efforts to kick off production for its upcoming INR 91,000 Cr semiconductor fab unit in partnership with Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (PSMC). The electronics arm of the Tata Group is sending its employees to Taiwan-based PSMC to train them in skills required to operate semiconductor manufacturing facilities, ET reported, citing sources. TEPL is hiring both freshers and those with experience in the semiconductor industry in batches of around 75 and sending them to Taiwan. These staffers receive training in different operations, including equipment, yield engineering, process technology and quality engineering. "The number of people going in for training to Taiwan from Tata Electronics has certainly gone up as the company gets closer and is preparing for its fab. Talent is the biggest gap," a source told the publication. It is to be noted that TEPL is building two semiconductor manufacturing facilities in India. The company has partnered with PSMC to build India's first AI-enabled fab facility in Gujarat's Dholera with an initial investment of INR 91,000 Cr (around $11 Bn). The fab is expected to have a manufacturing capacity of up to 50,000 wafers per month and will generate over 20,000 direct and indirect skilled jobs in the region. The upcoming facility will manufacture chips for applications such as power management IC, display drivers, microcontrollers (MCU) and high-performance computing logic, addressing the growing demand in markets such as automotive, computing and data storage, wireless communication and AI. Additionally, TEPL is setting up an INR 27,000 Cr OSAT (outsourced semiconductor assembly and test) facility in Assam, which is projected to generate roughly 27,000 direct and indirect jobs. The Assam OSAT facility is expected to be operational by mid-2025, with the first chip from the Dholera unit predicted by December 2026, according to union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Tata Electronics is not the only company building a semiconductor unit in India under the Indian Semiconductor Mission. The Centre has also approved a proposal from Micron Technology, which has committed $825 Mn for a semiconductor unit in Sanand, Gujarat. Mysuru-based Kaynes Semicon has also been granted approval from the union government to set up an OSAT facility in Gujarat with an initial investment of 3,307 Cr. The facility is expected to have a manufacturing capacity of 63 Lakhs chips a day. As per reports, Kaynes Semicon is planning to deliver India's first packaged semiconductor chip by July 2025. Earlier this year, MeitY secretary S Krishnan said that India's semiconductor demand is expected to reach $100-110 Bn by 2030 from the current demand of $45-50 Bn.