London bridge firming up: More investments likely into Karnataka, reveals Industries Minister

London: UK-based SCI Semiconductors has expressed interest in establishing its Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Karnataka, it is learnt. 

The State government has assured full support for the company’s proposed investment and future collaboration. This move is expected to pave the way for the local manufacture of hardware-secured microprocessors essential for computer-security applications, Industries Minister M. B. Patil recently said.

The Minister, who is on an official visit to the UK, held separate meetings with senior leadership from SCI Semiconductors, Weir Group, Latos Data Centre, Samco Holdings and ARM Semiconductors to explore investment and expansion opportunities.

Speaking about the discussions, Patil noted that ARM Semiconductors’ second-largest global office was located in Bengaluru and forms part of the Austin–Bengaluru–California (ABC) network.

The company is now looking to expand collaboration across its global centres and is keen on establishing another office in Bengaluru.

The meeting also touched upon how Cambridge and Bengaluru serve as strong hubs for semiconductor design, research and development (R&D), and highly skilled young talent, he added.

Samco Holdings has shown interest in investing in Karnataka’s renewable energy, ethanol production and battery manufacturing sectors.

Meanwhile, Latos Data Centre expressed interest in setting up an artificial intelligence (AI) incubation centre in Bengaluru.

Patil said the delegation highlighted the priority being accorded to these sectors under the upcoming KWIN City project.

The companies were also briefed on the potential for establishing data centres related to renewable energy and infrastructure development in Karnataka.

Weir Group, which has made a mark in the mining, minerals and industrial sectors, already operates a manufacturing unit near Bengaluru and is exploring further expansion.

Patil assured that the State government would extend all necessary support under Karnataka’s new industrial policy.

Those who participated in the discussions included Hayden Povey, CEO of SCI Semiconductors, Jack O’Brien, head of Weir Group, Mike Carlin (Founder), Ram Shankar and Harinder Dhaliwal from Latos, Sampath Kumar Mallya (Chairman), Ashwin Sampathkumar (Director) and Vaidyanathan Nateshan (CEO) from Samco Holdings, and Peter Stephens representing ARM Semiconductors.

The Karnataka Government delegation accompanying the Minister includes Selvakumar, Principal Secretary, Industries, Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industries, and Doddabasavaraju, Managing Director, Karnataka Udyog Mitra.