As Tata is looking to build its OSAT business and precision electronics manufacturing amid India's aspiration to build a self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem, the Indian conglomerate has hired Randhir Thakur, former head of Intel Foundry Services, to lead its newly-established semiconductors business.
According to The Economic Times and EE News Europe, Thakur joined Tata Electronics, established in April 2020 by Tata Group in Karnataka, as the CEO of the subsidiary. Tata Electronics is looking to foray into iPhone assembling and OSAT business.
The Economic Times quoted N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, saying that the roadmap for Tata Electronics is exciting and Thakur's in-depth knowledge and multi-functional experience will bode well for the company, and Tata Electronics will lead India to the right position in the global semiconductor and precision manufacturing industry.
Thakur said that he is excited to contribute to building Tata Electronics as an integral and trusted part of the global electronics industry, adding that the company intends to deliver innovation, quality, and cost advantage for semiconductors as well as precision manufacturing.
According to Thakur's profile on LinkedIn, he joined Intel in 2017 and had been leading the development and growth of Intel's foundry business and its IDM 2.0 strategy before he decided to resign from Intel in November 2022. Intel announced the acquisition of Tower Semiconductor and inked deals with MediaTek during his tenure.
In August 2021, Chandrasekaran officially announced Tata Group would enter semiconductor and precision manufacturing, aiming for a slice of the high electronics manufacturing market pegged at US$1 trillion, especially when the world is bracing for a large-scale supply chain shakeup due to geopolitical tensions and the pandemic.
Tata Group has entered into telecom gear manufacturing by acquiring Tejas Networks and into IC design through the acquisition deal of Saankhya Labs by Tejas Networks. The group is reportedly talking with Taiwan-based Wistron for a buyout of Wistron's plant for iPhone manufacturing. Chandrasekaran previously told Nikkei Asia that Tata Group would begin with OSAT before moving upstream to make chips through Tata Electronics, which has manufacturing facilities in Hosur, Tamil Nadu.
