The chief technology officer of Advanced Micro Devices on the lessons learnt from the recent chip shortage, the future of chip-making in India, the evolution of the semiconductor sector, and more
The five-decade-old US-based Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has been operating in India for over 20 years. At the recent Semicon India conference, the semiconductor company announced a $400 million investment over the next five years to expand its research, development and operations in India. The planned investment includes a new AMD campus in Bengaluru that will serve as the company’s largest design centre in the world. Last February, the company purchased adaptive chip company Xilinx for $49 billion, which is reportedly one of the biggest semiconductor acquisitions in history. In an exclusive conversation with Forbes India, Mark Papermaster, chief technology officer, AMD, who has four decades of experience in the semiconductor industry, talks about India’s approach to chip-making, the investment it takes to build a fab, and more. Edited excerpts:
Q. The recent chip shortage highlighted the problems of overseas dependency, especially amid continued tension between China and Taiwan. What lessons did AMD learn from this?
Q. In a layman's language, how would you describe semiconductors?
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