Fab facility to come up soon: CM

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Monday said that the state government would soon conduct the groundbreaking ceremony for a 50-acre hardware Fab facility at Hardware Park in Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inaugural function of Microsoft's new campus in the city, an official of the IT department said that the investment in the first phase is estimated to be around $600 million, while it will be $1 billion in the second phase.

"The work on the facility will start in early 2005 and production should start by late 2006 or early 2007," he added. The official said that the chip designing facility would provide direct employment to 10,000 people. "Apart from this, it would also facilitate around 250 ancillary industries coming up," he said.

The facility, which has been named India Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is being set up by June Min, chief executive officer of Korean-based Intellect Inc. Min has already set up eight Fab units globally.

Chips up to 200 mm can be produced at the facility, he said. "These can be used in all technological gadgets from washing machines to hi-end electrical products," the official added.

Steve Ballmer, the chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation, said that the company would partner with both the Union and the state governments in developing initiatives for community development.

"Project Shiksha which has been launched in association with the Andhra Pradesh government is a step in that direction," he said. Under this project a Microsoft IT Academy Centre has been set up in the state to provide training to teachers.

The Microsoft Academy is equipped with an IT laboratory encompassing hardware, software, curriculum and staff for effective delivery of educational facilities and administration.

The academy has a comprehensive teacher training programme, creation of a localised IT curriculum for students, rolling out of teacher and student scholarships programmes and setting up of a teachers' portal.

Ballmer also said that Microsoft has also started 'Project Bhasha' - a project to localise Windows in 14 Indian languages. "The Telugu version of Windows will be launched in the market by end-2004," Ballmer said.