Semiconductor entrepreneur Raja Manickam discusses the historical dynamic and value capture between software application makers and semiconductor hardware developers with host Siddharth Ahluwalia.
Opinion
Manickam: India is not yet ready for a $5B advanced wafer fab
“But I don't think our country is ready for even five billion dollar fab because that's, you know, very high end, you know, nodes and all, you have to walk before we can run.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Manickam: Whichever nation masters semiconductor manufacturing will rule the world
“Whoever, you know is able to master this is going to rule the world, right? I mean, this, I think, fundamentally, that has come to, you know, believe, right?”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Manickam: Asian fab engineers work seven days weekly unlike US workforce
“A Korean engineer or a Taiwanese engineer, you know, will work seven days a week, right? To get the process done and so on, right? Whereas in the US, you know there is you know, much more restrictions on labor and stuff like that.”
Insight
Manickam: Indian chip startups must conquer local market before going global
“We have an opportunity to create Indian companies and the Indian companies should focus on the Indian market first, right? Because this is where you learn how to build products or you learn how to improve on a product, right? You know, quality performance, how…”
Opinion
Manickam: Supporting foreign chip GCCs is not true semiconductor sovereignty
“I think, you know, the problem that I see for India could be that because of the GCCs and, you know, because we did a lot of software, IT and all that, right? For foreign companies, right? I hope the semiconductor doesn't take that path, right? Of, you know, j…”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Manickam: China will achieve self-sufficiency or cease importing US chips
“I think China will, you know, will be, you know, self-sufficient or at least, you know, make sure that they're not importing from us. So I think that is going to accelerate now.”