Adani Group Pauses Talks On $10 Bn Chip Deal With Tower Semiconductor

SUMMARY

The move followed an internal evaluation which concluded that the project currently lacks strategic and commercial viability

In September last year, Maharashtra’s cabinet approved Adani Group’s proposal to set up an INR 83,947 Cr semiconductor manufacturing plant

The latest assessment led to the company stepping back, citing demand-related concerns, especially within India

Gautam Adani-led ports-to-power conglomerate Adani Group has reportedly put a pause on its $10 Bn chip venture discussions with Israel’s Tower Semiconductor.

Citing sources close to the matter, a Reuters report said that the move followed an internal evaluation which concluded that the project currently lacks strategic and commercial viability.

In September last year, Maharashtra’s cabinet approved Adani Group’s proposal to set up an INR 83,947 Cr ($10 Bn) semiconductor manufacturing plant with Israel’s Tower Semiconductor, backing India’s ambition to become a global hub for chip manufacturing, which was expected to create 5,000 jobs.

The semiconductor plant will have a production capacity of 40,000 wafers per month in phase 1, which will increase to 80,000 wafers per month after phase 2.

While the Adani Group had initially stated the project was under consideration, the latest assessment led to the company stepping back, citing demand-related concerns, especially within India.

“It was more of a strategic decision. Adani evaluated it and decided, let’s wait,” a source was quoted as saying in the report.

Another source said that the group is not satisfied with the amount of financial contribution Tower was willing to make into the partnership, without disclosing details.

Tower was to provide technological expertise in the deal, but “Adani wanted Tower to have more skin in the game” in financial terms, the report added.

The development comes at a time when the Indian semiconductor industry is projected to become a $150 Bn opportunity by 2030, based on Inc42 data.

Further, the union government has been discussing plans for the rollout of the second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), where it may also extend support to chip design projects and semiconductor packaging designs.

Earlier this week, Amitesh Kumar Sinha was named as the new chief executive officer of the ISM, replacing Sushil Pal.

Meanwhile, investor interest in the segment has also evidently surged in 2024, with funding for semiconductor startups exceeding $28 Mn, up from a meagre $5 Mn in 2023.

Engineering services provider Cyient announced the official launch of Cyient Semiconductors, while its board also approved an investment of $100 Mn in the subsidiary, which is set to focus on scaling application-specific integrated (ASIC) turnkey solutions for Cyient’s customers.