Vedanta appoints David Reed as CEO of semiconductor business

In response to rumours that Vedanta Foxconn’s joint venture was having trouble finding a partner for a licence of production-grade technology, Vedanta has recently named David Reed as the CEO of its semiconductor business. a 35-year semiconductor industry veteran who has held positions at Texas Instruments, Global Foundries, and NXP. Reed will be in charge of establishing a cutting-edge semiconductor fabrication unit, as well as an assembling and testing operation, in India. In accordance with the Rs. 76,000 crore semiconductor scheme announced by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Vedanta has submitted an application for incentives for the construction of wafer and display fabs.

Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta, said, “We are pleased to welcome David Reed to Vedanta. “He has significantly influenced how the entire global semiconductor business is shaped. In order to help build a sustainable domestic electronic manufacturing ecosystem in India in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of an AatmaNirbhar Bharat, his skills and experience will be a valuable asset as we embark on this crucial journey with Foxconn, he continued.

Vedanta

In 1984, Reed began his career at Texas Instruments, where he spent the next 26 years in a variety of global leadership positions. He also served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of NXP semiconductors’ global operations during his most recent employment. Reed joined NXP as a result of Freescale Semiconductor and NXP’s merger; he was Freescale Semiconductor’s Senior Vice President for Manufacturing Operations. Prior to it, David worked for GlobalFoundries as vice president and general manager.

David Reed stated, “I am thrilled to be a part of this endeavour, which is a watershed development for the world’s semiconductor industry. I’m excited to take the helm of a varied group of extraordinarily brilliant and dedicated individuals and to work with them to realise this historic endeavour.

In the meantime, Vedanta signed an MoU with the Gujarat government in September 2022 to establish India’s first semiconductor fab unit, a display fab unit, and a semiconductor assembling and testing unit in the state. Vedanta has not yet disclosed the technology licence for fabs. The organisation has also recently signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with 30 Japanese businesses to build the semiconductor and display glass manufacturing ecosystem in India.

Reed’s addition to the team, who has experience establishing a full semiconductor ecosystem with global execution of wafer fabrication, R&D, assembly and testing, total quality management and packaging, and supply chain management, should help Vedanta’s semiconductor business plan advance effectively and quickly.