KDEM enables 18 new ESDM companies to set up operations in Karnataka

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Digital Economy Mission's (KDEM) efforts to underpin the growth of the Electronics, System, Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) industry has received wide acceptance from the industry as 18 large corporations have given their Letter of Intent (LoI) to set up operations in the State. This comes at a time when the Government of India recently announced its Semiconductor Policy to promote the manufacturing of semiconductor chips in the country.

Over 50 top global and Indian ESDM leaders, bureaucrats, and officials from KDEM, India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) along with the Dept of Electronics, IT BT S&T, and Industries department with Lahari allied at an event in Bengaluru to share their views on fortifying Karnataka's position in the ESDM space. Proxelera Pvt. Ltd, Wuerth Electronic India Pvt. Ltd., Virtulive Technologies Pvt Ltd, Gopalan aerospace Pvt Ltd, Teccheren batteries and Kaynes Technology, Rapture Innovation Labs, Physics Motors, Astr Defence, nanoPix Integrated Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and SLN Technologies are some of the renowned companies that feature in the LoI list.

Congratulating KDEM on receiving the LoI from reputed companies, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Electronics, Information Technology (IT) and Bio-Technology (BT) and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, Dr E V Ramana Reddy said, "Over the last few years, the demand for superior technology products has seen significant growth, encouraging the need to strengthen the ESDM sector. Karnataka has always been at the fore of the technology space, contributing significantly to the country's digital growth. This has been the basis of the KESDM Policy 2017-22 to develop Karnataka into a global ESDM hub and an epicentre for innovation. These Letters of Intent and the industry-wide acceptance of the ESDM initiative demonstrates the trust that global industry leaders have in Karnataka's commitment to be a leader in the IT and ESDM space."

The event also laid emphasis on ESDM focus clusters like Mysuru and Hubli to leverage the existing talent and ecosystem while reinforcing KDEM's role of skill development for the sector, thereby championing growth beyond Bengaluru. Furthermore, to provide added impetus to growth and talent availability for the ESDM sector in the State, KDEM in association with IESA and IIT-B announced the launch of VLSI Design Skills. Expected to be launched on 15 April 2022, the new program aims to develop world-class talent pool in Karnataka in a structured manner.

In addition, Lahari, a Government of India, Govt of Karnataka and Indian Electronics Industry Initiative that aims at providing advance electronics test facility of electronics products, also signed a MOU with Electronics Sector Skill Council (ESSC) India to further boost Karnataka's ability to become a sustainable and scalable talent hub for the ESDM sector.

Speaking on the occasion B V Naidu, Chairman, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, said, "As an enabler of conducive business environment in the State of Karnataka, KDEM was established with the vision of acting as a knowledge bridge between the industry and the government with a strong focus on innovation, start-ups, ESDM among others. It gives me immense pride to see this vision being realized as we invite industries to set up operations in Karnataka and reaffirm the state's contribution to the country's economic growth. We are delighted to have received an outstanding response from industry players, 18 companies have joined forces with us and have shared the Letter of Intent (LoI) to set up operations with significant investments directed towards building the ESDM ecosystem and generating over 15,000 employment opportunities for the local talent in the state."

Speaking on the occasion, Ruchir Dixit, Vice President and Country Manager - Siemens EDA said, "While we are delighted with the reception from the industry and the outcome, we expect significant traction in the coming months with more companies coming forward to build a robust ESDM infrastructure in the state. The Karnataka Government and KDEM have given us a roadmap through the KESDM Policy and simplifying and streamlining policies to enhance the ESDM ecosystem."

Karnataka has been a hub for technology and R&D-based institutions in India and boasts of adequate infrastructure to support its vision. With its Beyond Bengaluru, Talent Accelerator, Start-up, Innovation, and ESDM-led programs, KDEM has strived to promote Karnataka as the most preferred destination for frontier technologies and is led by industry anchors with the core objective of 'By the industry and for the industry.