COIMBATORE: Emphasizing the critical need for India to transition from a service-driven economy to a product-manufacturing powerhouse, P Raja Manickam, founder and CEO of iVP Semi, has revealed ambitious plans to collaborate with local industrialists and the government to establish a semiconductor wafer fabrication facility in Coimbatore.
Call to Action for Engineering Graduates
Speaking as the chief guest on the first day of the 38th graduation ceremony at Kumaraguru College of Technology here on Saturday, the industry veteran urged the graduating engineering batch to spearhead this technological revolution. He stressed that semiconductors are no longer a luxury but foundational national infrastructure, akin to roads and railways, and are essential for India to control its own economic destiny.
Global Semiconductor Market Projections
Highlighting the global semiconductor industry's projected leap to a one trillion-dollar market, Manickam noted that this milestone cannot be reached without India playing a dominant role. He pointed out that unlike software development, which can often be an individual pursuit, semiconductor manufacturing demands deep and cross-disciplinary teamwork.
Shift from Doers to Tinkering Minds
He called for a shift from producing mere 'doers' to cultivating 'tinkering minds' capable of integrating mechanical engineering, chemistry, electronics, and physics. Drawing parallels with Taiwan's massive success in the tech sector despite its small size and geographical challenges, he attributed their global dominance to seamless collaboration among professionals, and strong and lifelong ties between academia and industry. He urged the young graduates to build a similar collaborative ecosystem in India.
Entrepreneurial Journey and Resilience
Reflecting on his own entrepreneurial journey in building Tessolve -- a world-class semiconductor engineering company that placed Indian talent in global giants like Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA, Manickam reminded the graduating students of the power of resilience. He encouraged them to embrace leadership roles over the next two decades, actively drive the 'Make in India' initiative, and create transformative opportunities for future generations.
