Gandhinagar, March 1 (NationPress) Gujarat has escalated its efforts to draw investments in semiconductor production as Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel engaged in a series of private discussions with both local and international industry executives during the SemiConnect Conference-2026 in Gandhinagar.

This two-day event, orchestrated by the state government's Department of Science and Technology under the banner 'Gujarat – India’s Gateway to Silicon', was officially opened by the Chief Minister at Mahatma Mandir.

The conference aimed to foster strategic partnerships between global semiconductor manufacturers and Indian enterprises.

In these closed meetings, conversations revolved around plans for establishing a semiconductor research and development center, a memory module production facility, power chip manufacturing units, and specialty chemical plants within the state.

Officials noted that discussions emphasized potential investments and the requirements for operationalizing these facilities in Gujarat.

Patel elaborated on what he termed the state's evolving semiconductor ecosystem, identifying Dholera SIR and Sanand as burgeoning centers for chip fabrication and related industries.

He also pointed out the government's commitment to facilitating industrial projects through robust infrastructure and supportive policies.

Among the notable figures in attendance were Meghav Mehta, Managing Director of Deepak Nitrite; Dato’ Seri Lee Hung Loong, Chairman of Hotayi Electronic; Mokoto Terada, Managing Director of Suchi-ROHM Semicon, along with its founder Ashok Mehta; Rajeev Gautam of Horiba India; and Radhika Viswanathan, COO of Applied Materials.

Senior officials from the state, including Chief Secretary M. K. Das, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) Mamta Verma, and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjeev Kumar, were also present.

During the conference, Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology, highlighted the launch of India’s first semiconductor assembly and testing center, 'Micron Pioneer', located in Sanand, as a groundbreaking development.

This facility was inaugurated in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

Mehrotra stated: 'The project signifies a pivotal advancement towards integrating India into the global semiconductor supply chain, achieved with the collaboration of both Central and State governments.'

He emphasized that Micron's strategy in India would focus on five key areas: security, sustainability, local presence, artificial intelligence adoption, and talent development.

'As demand for memory chips surges in the age of artificial intelligence, India is gearing up to play a vital role in satisfying global needs through skill enhancement and innovation,' he added.

Dr. Randhir Thakur, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Electronics, remarked that India is progressing beyond policy creation to compete on a global scale in manufacturing. 'The electronics manufacturing sector in the country has witnessed rapid growth, with mobile phone production reaching 70 billion US dollars last year,' he noted.

Regarding the Semiconductor Mission, Thakur mentioned that Tata Electronics’ application was approved in just 100 days with support from both the Central and State Governments.

He stated, 'Dholera is emerging as India’s 'Semicon City', with 7,000 personnel currently engaged in the company’s project and an anticipated 20,000 jobs to be generated in the future.'

Furthermore, he highlighted that essential infrastructure, including a four-lane highway, consistent power supply, and water supply, has been established in the area, and advanced technologies such as lithography are being introduced with the assistance of experts from 16 countries and 300 employees from Taiwan.