Minister for Large & Medium Industries & Infrastructure Development M.B. Patil on Wednesday held discussions with American chip manufacturer Applied Materials regarding setting up of a Centre of Excellence for innovation and an R&D lab at Whitefield in Bengaluru.

The company’s officials sought the Government’s support in this regard and requested to speed up issuing pre-construction approvals to set up its lab. The team also discussed the importance of chemicals and gases needed for the semiconductor ecosystem and the ease of doing business.

Prabu G. Raja, president of Semiconductor Products Group and Shri Srinivas Satya, Corporate vice president and managing director of Applied Materials India also discussed establishing a Center of Excellence for innovation with the support of the Government and their commitment to accelerate Karnataka's ecosystem through collaboration on skilling. 

Recently, Applied Materials announced an investment plan of $400 million spread over the next four years to set up an engineering centre in Bengaluru. Patil-led delegation visited the company’s Maydan Technology Center, a facility dedicated to advanced chip-making. 

In another meeting with San Francisco-headquartered Juniper Networks Inc., the delegation discussed various issues including enhancement of its R&D capabilities in the state, exploration of hardware manufacturing along with supplier ecosystem, policies, and incentives in Karnataka. The two sides also delved into renewable energy plans for business operations and Government partnership on establishing a Center of Excellence for design and wireless products by March 2024. 

Western Digital, which has a large R&D presence in Bengaluru, discussed custom-related issues with the government since it is into Hard Disk Drive development and ways to improve ease of doing business along with expediting the approval process. 

Participating at a dinner hosted by Indiaspora, a network of global Indian origin leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions, M.B. Patil, minister for Large & Medium Industries & Infrastructure Development along with Priyank Kharge minister for IT and BT and Science Technology unveiled their vision for the growth of industries in Karnataka. They also requested all entrepreneurs, business owners, and innovators to consider investments in the State of Karnataka.