Interestingly, Silicon Valley of America got its name because of its semiconductor industries. Silicon is a major part of semiconductor chips hence the name of the region. There is high opportunity for Silicon Beach also to adhere to this criteria by developing as a semiconductor hub.
MSEZL_ Annual Report_ 2017-18_Final
MSEZ as such wanted to attract chip manufacturers as mentioned in the above document. Earlier Mangalore SEZ had signed an MoU/EoI with a semiconductor manufacturer also (I don't remember name exactly, could be AT&T or Applied Materials). But this couldn't materialize because of no encouragement from the state government in spite of Mangaluru having many advantages. Let us study these advantages.
First of all, most of semiconductor hubs of the world are located near sea & port as illustrated below.
- America - Silicon Valley is located in San Francisco Bay
- China - Major semiconductor hubs like Shanghai, Shenzhen are located near sea within 10 km. Even Beijing is just 100 km away from sea.
- Taiwan - Semiconductor Hub Hsinchu located near sea within 10 km.
- South Korea - Semiconductor Hub Yongin is 50 km away from sea.
- Japan - Semiconductor Hub Kumamoto is just 4 km from sea.
- Vietnam - Semiconductor Hubs Da Nang is 2 km & Ho Chi Minh City is just 20 km from sea.
- Netherlands - Eindhoven is 80 km away from sea. (minor hub)
- Germany - Dresden (Silicon Saxony) is the only semiconductor hub more than 200 km away from sea. (minor hub)
- Israel - Tel Aviv, Haifa & Migdal Haemek (Silicon Wadi) - Tel Aviv & Haifa are port cities. Migdal Haemek is just 20 km away from sea. (minor hubs)
Main requirements for semiconductor industries are land, electric power, water & raw materials. In fact semiconductor industries consume huge quantitiess of water. Apart from these, getting human resources in Tulunadu is not an issue as literacy rate is the highest in Karnataka & the region produces large number of engineering & diploma graduates.
Land
Let us start with land requirements. Gujarat's Dholera Vedanta-Foxconn (now cancelled), largest semiconductor plant proposed so far, required about 200 acres. Finding such land parcels is not at all an issue in Silicon Beach. In many places 200 acres government lands are available without going through any acquisition pains. There are plenty of barren lands.
ಯುಪಿಸಿಎಲ್ ಎರಡನೇ ಹಂತದ 530 ಎಕರೆ ಜಾಗವನ್ನು ಕೆಇಎಡಿಬಿ ವಾಪಾಸ್ಸು ಪಡೆದುಕೊಂಡಿದೆ
Power
Electric Power is also not an issue in Tulunadu. In fact UPCL wants to export excess power to Kerala -
Villagers to hold demonstration against laying 400 kV power line on farmland. Semiconductor industries can exploit this abundance of power. Of course, for carbon credits, getting green power is also not an issue.
Raw / input materials
Silica sand (SiO2) is abundantly available in Tulunadu. In fact Undivided South Canara is the only region in Karnataka where silica sand is easily available. Other alternates like gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC) are not easily available anywhere in India.
google search for "silica sand coastal karnataka" yields
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Silica sand, characterized by high chemical purity (SiO2 content exceeding 99.5%), is found along the coastal regions of Karnataka, particularly in South Kanara, with applications in various industries.
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A Note on Silica Sands of South Kanara Coast, Karnataka, India
A Note on Silica Sands of South Kanara Coast, Karnataka, India
Top White Silica Sand Manufacturers in Mangalore
Silica sand is illegally mined in Udupi coastal area
It will be interesting to investigate the illegal silica sand miners are serving industries in which region. We should be careful enough to extract silica sand without affecting coast & environment. It has to be used for generating jobs for locals here itself not to supply industries in other places. Please note that irrespective of whether Karnataka will have semiconductors industries here or somewhere else silica sand will be mined here only. So, better let us have semiconductor industries here itself. Only solution against sea erosion due to illegal sand mining is proper monitoring against rules violation of these activities by alert citizen groups.
If there is neccessity of importing silica sand from other countries then it is easy due to availability of port. (Just imagine Maharaja Corridor importing sand in aeroplanes
).
Harnessing India's chemical expertise for semiconductor ecosystem development
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India must leverage its chemical industry to integrate itself into global semiconductor supply chains.
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google search for "petrochemicals for semiconductor industry" yields
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Petrochemicals play a crucial role in the semiconductor industry, providing materials and chemicals for various manufacturing processes, including cleaning, etching, and the production of components like photoresists and CMP materials.
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How Gujarat Is Shaping Up As India's Semiconductor Hub, Building On Its Strength As An Economic Powerhouse
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Dahej's Chemical Advantage
Specialty chemicals are the unsung heroes of semiconductor manufacturing, performing essential tasks like photoresist removal, material etching, wafer cleaning, semiconductor doping, and material deposition. With nearly 250 specialty gases and chemicals in the mix, these vital components ensure the precise and efficient production of cutting-edge electronics.
The presence of a large chemical cluster in Dahej in the south-west coast of Gujarat is one of the major reasons for large ticket semiconductor investments happening in the region. To appreciate its impact, consider this: Gujarat supplies approximately 33 percent of the specialty chemicals required by the semiconductor industry.
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Mangaluru is already a Chemical Hub & in addition, planned Petrochemical Hub will further strengthen it. BASF globally offers a wide range of
speciality chemicals and solutions for the semiconductor industry, including those used in cleaning, etching, photolithography, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), and wet deposition processes. BASF in Mangaluru has enough land in its possession (200 hectares compared to its 23.44 hectares in Dahej) to expand & cater to semiconductor industrial needs of speciality chemicals. Also industries at proposed Plastic Park can economically supply semiconductor plastics.
Other raw materials, required in small quantities, can be imported through NMPT (does Adani have rare earth materials mine in Australia? Monazite deposists are found in coastal Karnataka). Of course copper , aluminium, tin, Nitrogen, Oxygen are also needed. Gold can be smuggled from Dubai <- a joke
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The Global Semiconductor Supply Chain: Key Inputs
Here is Gallium mining prospectus for Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology:
google "karnataka gallium mining"
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Exploration and Potential: As of late 2025, the GSI has identified areas in Karnataka for exploration, particularly focusing on the Western Ghats region (Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Belagavi, and Hassan) for bauxite, copper, gold, and other rare earth elements.
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Water
Although the project mentioned in the following quora link is cancelled now it would be helpful to read & know how Gujarat won this project in spite of tough competition from other states.
Why did the Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor manufacturing facility choose Gujarat over Maharashtra and other states? - Quora
Main reason mentioned in the above link is water cost apart from land, power & speciality chemicals.
How Gujarat Is Shaping Up As India's Semiconductor Hub, Building On Its Strength As An Economic Powerhouse
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Gujarat is leading the charge in addressing this challenge. The dedicated policy for semiconductors not only ensures access to high-quality potable water but also offers a compelling incentive: a 50 per cent capital subsidy for fab projects that build their own desalination plants.
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The Secret to Expanding Semiconductor Manufacturing in the U.S.? Water
Semiconductor manufacturing and big tech's water challenge
Ultrapure water is got through desalination. Mangalore SEZ already has a desalination plant.
There is also chance of using
Sea Water Cooling System 2. Sea water cools
transfer liquids which in turn cools semiconductor plants. There could be inbetween stage of pure water also between sea water & transfer liquid. Anyone interested to do R&D on this? Sea Water Cooling infrastructure can be provided by SEZ or Industrial Park developers.
Google search of "sea water cooled semiconductor plant" yields the following solution.
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In Mangaluru, a sea water cooling system, particularly a closed-loop system involving a heat exchanger, is a viable option for cooling semiconductor manufacturing plants, as it addresses both the high water demands and the need for precise temperature control required for semiconductor manufacturing.
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Same water drawn from sea for cooling can be used to get fresh water by desalination.
Google search of "seawater cooling plus desalination" yields the following solution.
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Combining seawater cooling with desalination, particularly reverse osmosis (RO) or thermal desalination, offers a way to produce freshwater and utilize seawater for cooling, potentially reducing energy consumption and costs.
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In India currently semiconductor plant works are going on in Gujarat & Assam. Assam's
Morigaon has advantage of Brahmaputra river which gives enough water & has potential to generate plenty of electricity. India also planning to construct a huge dam across Brahmaputra for strategical reasons. But Assam may have disadvantage of not having sea port & also procuring speciality chemicals. And
Sanand is 350 km away from sea. Anyway they may be planning to ship finished semiconductor products through air or land & also be planning to have downstream industries there itself to cater to local needs. But Gujarat's
Dholera is 20km away from sea &
Surat being just 50 km away from Hazira port has a small semiconductor plant. Does that mean India doesn't care for port-based semiconductor industries? May not be.
Panvel Semiconductor plant proposed by Maharashtra is just 25 km away from sea &
Taloja is 14 km away from sea. Tamilnadu is planning to have one in
Chennai itself.
Karnataka was intially planning to develop Green Hydrogen Hub in Tumakuru. But due to water scarcity & port requirement the state government was forced to shift the hub to Mangaluru. Now, the corridor identified for semiconductor manufacturing by the state has a similar water disadvantage. Let us call this Maharaja Corridor and have a brief comparative study with Silicon Beach on water issues. (Maharaja Corridor because it has the luxury of bearing cost of importing everything else except land like water, silica sand, speciality chemicals etc from other places & exporting through far off sea ports at high cost).
The following clippings are from Hosadigantha except the last one which is from Udayavani.
Save Sharavathi Tailrace
Pumping from brooks & couloirs of Yettinahole + Eyes on Sharavathi Reserved Forest
Yettinahole Expansion Not Needed
Tender for Sharavati Tailrace - A Hideout Game
Why do Karntaka government want to destroy everything? Why this pigheadedness when better alternate option for Semiconductor Hub is available? I don't want to guess how much land each politician may be having along Maharaja Corridor as they have mastered the art of walking out clean from honourable courts.
The government may claim that Yettinahole & Sharavathi water is not for semiconductor plants but for domestic purposes and semiconductor plants will use Kaveri water. But Tamil Nadu will object to this as Kaveri quota for the city is meant for drinking water only.
One more water hurdle to Maharaja Corridor -
No Mekedatu Dam Without Tamil Nadu’s Consent: Minister Duraimurugan
Vented Dams Effect: Groundwater Level Increased
Comparatively, Tulunadu has potential for many more dams to cater water needs of semiconductor industries. As an option semiconductor manufacturers can be asked to construct dams themselves. Also there is sea water desalination option.
Strategy
We need two teams. Let us call these teams as legal team & technical team. Legal team will campaign to save Yettinahole & Sharavathi Tailrace with full noise. Technical team will work silently for establishment of Semiconductor Hub in Silicon Beach.
I request legal team or Save Yettinahole & Sharavathi Tailrace campaigners who want to file PIL in their petition to show availability of alternate/better option for water guzzling semiconductor plants. They should also ask for the measures taken by the state government to decrease the population of Maharaja Corridor. There is every possibility to prove in the court that Silicon Beach is better option for semiconductor hub than Maharaja Corridor by collecting & providing all relevant documents as evidence.
Whereas techical team will arrange for a meeting with various stakeholders like BASF (speciality chemicals), a few semiconductor companies including Adani, silica sand manufacturers, TiE-Mangalore, KCCI, MSEZ, MRPL (speciality chemicals + plastic),
GSI, NITK,
MU to explore possibilities.
Silicon Beach Program (SBP) needs to expand its scope to promote Mangaluru to semiconductor manufacturers.
Along with this Mangaluru University has to strengthen its Solid State Physics & Chemistry departments. NITK has to strengthen its Electronics, Material Science, Chemical Engineering & Compuer Science (chip design) departments, we need good mechanical engineers knowing semiconductor machinery & even civil engineers with knowledge of cleanrooms, structural enginneering etc. Tulunadu deserves an
NIELIT & an
Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER).
A list has to be prepared on Tulunadu-origin semiconductor experts working across country & world and how many of them are ready to return (Back to Ooru) if opportunity is provided here itself. The list has to be made available to potential companies ready to invest in Tulunadu.
We may start with a small semiconductor plant like the one in Surat.
Will Adani be interested to put up a semiconductor plant in Mangaluru & then Adani University catering to semiconductor/data center education and R&D? Adani can use UPCL excess power itself for semiconductor plant. If materialized it will provide a big boost to both passenger & cargo traffic of MIA. I won't be surprised if they now plan for semiconductor plant at Yellur in place of Data Centre or both. This is the one sharp-minded business group which knows how to exploit opportunities.
Potentially, we can have semiconductor plants at Yellur (530 acres KIADB land), Belapu, Karnire (proposed for industries), Kinya-Someshawara etc near sea as cool water will be available within 40 km from shore at 800 meters depth. In case of Karnire, Green Hydrogen plants can use desalinated water after cooling semiconductor plants. Note that desalination plants are well spread out in this way, hence will not have much effect on increasing salinity level of nearby sea.
Note that all districts of Malenadu will also be benefited by this as many Eelectronics industries can come up there instead of Maharaja Corridor backyard.
Why is the central government not declaring water rich regions as potential regions for semiconductor industries? Why is it allowing water starved, over populated, unviable regions to be declared as hubs for semiconductor industries?
The state government may argue doing all these things ourselves is protocol violation. But please don't care for this government which doesn't care for Karavali & Malenadu.
MP Brijesh Chowta meets Modi, discusses Mangaluru’s future
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Chowta stressed that Mangaluru has all the essential ingredients to be self-reliant (Atmanirbhar) but has been sidelined due to state politics. “From shipbuilding to fisheries, from Hindutva to heritage, from financial potential to food processing—Mangalore has the capabilities to be a mini-Gujarat. What it needs is the opportunity,” he said.
With a strong push for placing Mangaluru on India’s developmental map, Chowta sought the Prime Minister’s guidance to unlock the region’s full economic potential.
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Did the MP talk about his plan on how to develop Mangaluru as a Semiconductor Hub? Or at least Energy Transition & Climate Action Industrial Hub?
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Originally Posted by BolliBatlu
Whereas techical team will arrange for a meeting with various stakeholders like BASF (speciality chemicals), a few semiconductor companies including Adani, silica sand manufacturers, TiE-Mangalore, KCCI, MSEZ, MRPL (speciality chemicals + plastic), GSI, NITK, MU to explore possibilities. |
All we need to prove the potential of Mangaluru is just one meeting among stake holders!
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