Intel, 3DGS to set up $3.3 billion glass substrate unit in Odisha

The proposed facility in Odisha will manufacture advanced packaging glass-core substrates and is expected to generate 1,800 high-skill jobs over the next five to six years

Chip major Intel on Friday signed a pact with 3D Glass Solutions (3DGS) and the Odisha government to set up a $3.3 billion advanced packaging glass-core substrate manufacturing facility in the Bhubaneswar-Khurda region, officials said. 

Intel will support the project with technology know-how and process expertise, the government said in a press note. 

The proposed project is among the largest high-technology manufacturing investments in the country, particularly in the semiconductor space. It is surpassed only by the $11 billion investment proposed by the Tata Group for building India’s first chip fabrication facility. 

The memorandum of understanding aligns with the government’s vision of developing the entire semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India, Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. 

Officials said the project could trigger the emergence of a broader semiconductor ecosystem comprising upstream suppliers of speciality chemicals, advanced materials, capital equipment and glass substrates, as well as downstream electronics and system integration industries. 

The proposed project, likely to come up over the next five to six years, is expected to generate 1,800 direct high-skill jobs.

 

It will focus on advanced packaging glass-core substrates, high-density interconnect substrates, and associated semiconductor technologies.

 

A glass substrate is a heat-resistant, transparent base material used in advanced semiconductor packaging. It serves as the foundational layer on which other chip components, such as integrated circuits and chemical coatings, are applied and integrated.

 

The tripartite agreement was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Additional Chief Secretary of Electronics and IT Vishal Kumar Dev, and Intel Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lip-Bu Tan. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw joined virtually.

 

The glass substrate initiative aims to position Odisha as a globally competitive destination for advanced technologies, innovation, AI infrastructure, data centres and digital transformation, Majhi said. “Our vision is to build a vibrant ecosystem that creates world-class opportunities, attracts leading global technology companies and firmly places Odisha on the global semiconductor map, while strengthening India’s technological self-reliance,” he said.

 

Naga Chandrasekaran, executive vice-president and general manager of Intel Foundry, said the collaboration with 3DGS would help explore a new opportunity in Odisha.

 

“As a pioneer in glass-core substrate technology, we are excited about the potential of this collaboration to accelerate the commercialisation of next-generation advanced packaging solutions globally,” he said.

 

Babu Mandava, CEO of 3D Glass Solutions, said the proposed project has the potential to establish India as a key global hub for advanced glass substrates and semiconductor packaging, supporting high-growth sectors such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and next-generation electronics.

 

In August last year, 3DGS received government approval to set up a vertically integrated advanced packaging and embedded glass substrate unit in Bhubaneswar under the ₹76,000 crore India Semiconductor Mission. The planned capacity of the unit includes 69,600 glass panel substrates, 50 million assembled units and 13,200 3DHI (3D Heterogeneous Integration) modules annually.

 

The products manufactured at the facility will have applications across defence, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, radio-frequency, automotive, photonics and co-packaged optics sectors.