Vedanta to enter semiconductor market this year after Foxconn split

BENGALURU (Reuters) -India's Vedanta will enter the market for the manufacturing of chips and displays this year, group chairman Anil Agarwal said on Wednesday, days after its joint-venture partner Foxconn pulled out of the $19.5 billion chipmaking project.

Foxconn separately intends to apply for incentives under India's semiconductor production plan.

In an address to the shareholders, Agarwal said Vedanta will "this year, subject to government approval" begin its foray to setup its semiconductor and display units.

After Foxconn pulled out, Vedanta said it has lined up partners for the venture, without giving any further details.

Volcan Investments, Vedanta's holding company and Foxconn had signed a pact last year to set up semiconductor and display production plants in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat in western India.

Reuters has reported that deadlocked talks on finalising European chipmaker STMicroelectronics as a tech partner, and delayed incentive approvals were among reasons for Foxconn's pullout from the JV.

(Reporting by Sethuraman NR in Bengaluru and Tanvi Mehta in New Delhi; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Louise Heavens)