Qualcomm’s 2024 plan for India: Semiconductor partnerships, R&D and startups investment

savi soin, president, qualcomm India

US-based Qualcomm is looking to help large and mid-size companies set up semiconductor units in India as one of its top priorities in 2024.

It is also doubling down on its investment in India, especially around design, research, and development across Noida, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

“...given our scale and understanding, we can certainly help drive that ecosystem of semiconductors, just like we have done in other geographies with other companies,” Savi Soin, president of Qualcomm India, told Moneycontrol, in an interaction.

Late last year, Qualcomm said it was working closely with the Indian government and Tata Group to explore the local packaging of its all-new PC chip in the near term.

“Given Qualcomm’s scale and the number of chips we sell globally, anybody that sets up, semiconductor back-end or fabs in India, would love to have Qualcomm’s volume…they're looking for anybody that sets it up, we're looking for a customer that brings technology and scale, and we check both those boxes,” he added.

The company is also seeking to work with small, local semiconductor companies through strategic partnerships. “We can't make the silicon, chips, and software for every category and device…We are looking for partners to augment things we don't have products for.”

Qualcomm India’s business team and venture capital arm, Qualcomm Ventures, are looking at opportunities to partner with Indian companies. Soin said the company also has a semiconductor mentorship programme to help these companies. “This is [our] helping scale and accelerate the semiconductor strategy for India.”

Doubling down on investment and startups

The American company announced plans to expand its operations in Chennai on January 7, by setting up a new design centre with an investment of Rs 177.27 crore. This will be the centre of excellence for Qualcomm, helping develop connectivity products for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7. It plans to create jobs for up to 1,600 skilled professionals.

Soin said that the Chennai centre would not be the only investment for 2024 as the company plans to invest across more centres.

“We are looking at lots of investments. You will see a lot of announcements from us. Year 2024 is going to be an exciting one for us. We're absolutely investing a lot more in Hyderabad, Noida, Chennai and Bengaluru…we're really doubling down. Every fiscal year, we are expanding,” he added.

Qualcomm is also sharpening its focus on the startup ecosystem in India through its various teams, including Qualcomm Ventures.

“The entire Qualcomm team is working on identifying these startups…some startups need mentorship, some need guidance, some need technology support, while some need capital. This is among my top three priorities for India…It is very important to create these companies in India and make them successful. The companies that can build products right here in India are very important to us,” Soin added.

6G and Satcom focus

He said that Qualcomm India’s engineering teams have also started helping global teams in the areas of 6G and next-generation satellite communications for standardisation. “For 6G, we have a dedicated team in India.”

He, however, believes that before 6G, there is a need to ensure that 5G succeeds in the country with the help of relevant use cases and mass adoption by Indian consumers.

“Everything [use cases] has to be India-specific...there are certain business model issues many companies are looking to solve. It’s just a matter of time before it gets solved,” he said.

Speaking about Qualcomm’s involvement in developing certain 5G use cases, he said that Qualcomm India is running proof of concepts (PoCs) around worker safety with a private network in the country.

He said 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is one of the significant use cases as it can potentially connect the unconnected in the country.

The company plans to work with all satcom players, including those looking to set up operations in India. “We will be working with all relevant players with the right constellation to provide services. We have already announced our non-terrestrial network (NTN) support.”

Soin said that satcom will be relevant for the Indian market for emergency communications and in areas where deploying regular telecom service is challenging. “It will be a very good feature for the Indian consumer, once we have the right constellations up and running.”