Zoho-Backed Silectric to Invest INR 3,000 Crore in Silicon Carbide Manufacturing Unit in Odisha The products manufactured by Silectric will primarily serve the power electronics sector, with applications in electric vehicles (EVs), automotive components and renewable energy.
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Silectric Semiconductor Manufacturing Pvt Ltd, a new venture backed by the Zoho Group, is set to establish a silicon carbide manufacturing facility in Odisha. With a proposed investment of INR 3,034 crore, the plant will be located in the Khurdha district and focus on creating an integrated manufacturing value chain for silicon carbide products. This includes the production of silicon carbide ingots, wafers, MOSFETs, modules, and final assembly and packaging.
The proposal, which was reviewed by the Odisha government, received approval from the Odisha High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA). This announcement was made by Sampad Chandra Swain, Minister of State for Industries, Skill Development, and Technical Education, in a post on X. The HLCA has approved 12 major industrial projects, with a combined investment of INR 39,000 crore. Half of this investment has already been allocated for development.
The Silectric plant is one of three projects from the electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) sector that have been approved by the Odisha government. It will operate under both a captive and foundry services model and will produce up to 72,000 units annually across EPI wafers, MOSFETs and modules. Silectric has also applied for support under the Indian Semiconductor Mission, which is overseen by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY).
The products manufactured by Silectric will primarily serve the power electronics sector, with applications in electric vehicles (EVs), automotive components, and renewable energy. The venture's key management team includes Navneethan Jai Anand, Radha Vembu, Dandapani Rajendran and Krishnan Ramabadran, all of whom are also directors at Zoho.
A New Approach
In the past few years the global manufacturing landscape has seen a Tectonic Shift with multinational corporations seeking to de-risk from China: In order to reduce dependence on the country for manufacturing their high-tech electronic products and components, many of these companies have embraced a 'China plus one' (C+1) strategy taking active measures to reduce risk by downsizing their presence in the country.
We need a different approach – the new principle for the supply chain is – just in case. It's a work in progress, SEMI is working aggressively to redesign the blueprint of the supply chain based on the just-in-case philosophy, says Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI. Read more
