PM Modi meets Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, talks about semiconductor manufacturing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Micron President & CEO Sanjay Mehrotra on day 2 of his US Visit to Washington. The meeting happened two days after Business Today reported the Cabinet approved Micron’s plan to set up a testing and assembly plant in India. It is a part of PM Modi's scheduled interactions with top CEOs, during his visit to the United States.

Prime Minister invited Micron Technology to boost semiconductor manufacturing in India. He noted that India can provide competitive advantages in various parts of the semiconductor supply chain.

“We look forward to greater opportunities in India,” says CEO of Micron Technology Sanjay Mehrotra after meeting PM Modi in Washington DC. According to news reports, Mehrotra was impressed with the vision Prime Minister Narendra Modi has for India and the advances India is making. He also said, the two discussed a wide range of topics and are looking forward to greater opportunities in India.

US-headquartered Micron Technology is a leading name in memory storage. And for Micron shortlisting India for its testing and packaging unit is a good start for India’s Semiconductor Mission. Industry veterans are hopeful that following Micron's decision, more established names will look at India seriously.

Also, the testing and packaging plant is an important step in the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. After wafers are made at wafer fabs or foundries, ATMP units slice the wafers into chips, package and test them, so that they can be used in electronic products. And according to information available, Micron Technology plans to build a $2.7 billion semiconductor testing and packaging unit in Gujrat, and the government has agreed to production-linked incentives (PLI) worth $1.34 billion for the plant. However, the company has not responded to Business Today’s query on the same.

 According to information available to Business Today, following the government’s scheme for semiconductors, Micron Technology was close to finalizing plans for setting up an ATMP – assembly, testing, marking and packing in July last year. Even their CEO Sanjay Mehrotra was supposed to visit India in August 2022 and meet Ministers at the Ministry of Electronics and IT. However, people familiar with the matter confirmed the plans were put on hold due to the US CHIPS ACT which offered huge incentives for semiconductor fabs. And in October 2022, following the US-CHIPS ACT, Micron Technology announced its plans to invest up to $100 billion to build a mega-fab in Central New York.