US chipmaking equipment maker Applied Materials plans to invest $5 billion in India through 2035

NEW DELHI: US chipmaking equipment maker Applied Materials plans to invest $5 billion in India through 2035, including a proposed 140-acre semiconductor research park in Bengaluru, expansion of its supplier network and more than doubling its R&D workforce.The investment will expand the role of its India operations from chip-equipment design to developing complete products for global customers. Applied Materials makes equipment used to manufacture semiconductors, rather than the chips themselves."Today, India is participating mostly in the design part of the product life cycle. Now we are talking about the product life cycle end to end," Prabu Raja, president of Applied Materials' semiconductor products group, told TOI. This would span innovation, design, development, sourcing and customer support, he said.The proposed research park near Bengaluru international airport will bring together laboratories, equipment engineering and collaborative research, allowing suppliers, customers and universities to work with Applied Materials on product development. It will include facilities for research using 300mm silicon wafers, which are used to manufacture chips."We can invent together and develop a product together. It's all about speed today. India doesn't have to take the same amount of time that other countries took (to develop semiconductor capabilities)," Raja said.Get the latest Business News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.