Japanese and Taiwanese electronics and semiconductor companies are actively considering the establishment of dedicated housing corridors in Dholera, Gujarat, to accommodate expatriate employees working at India’s inaugural chip fabrication unit. Tokyo Electron Ltd (TEL) of Japan and Taiwan’s PSMC, both collaborators in the Tata Group’s impending Dholera fab, are reportedly assessing private housing options for their staff.
A senior Gujarat government official quoted by Economic Times noted, “We see interest from Japanese and Taiwanese companies to set up housing corridors for their employees in Dholera. This will be mainly for Taiwanese employees from PSMC and their suppliers, as well as a large consortium of Japanese firms that will operate in the area for the Tata fab.” The Dholera master plan has already earmarked land for housing and recreational amenities for expatriates.
These private townships are expected to supplement housing initiatives by the Tata Group and the government’s Global Tent City project. The official elaborated, “The idea behind these private facilities is to create exclusive townships in Dholera tailored to meet the needs of expatriates from those countries. We already have several Japanese townships in Gujarat located in other manufacturing hubs.”
TEL is spearheading this Japanese initiative. Last September, it joined forces with Tata Electronics to develop semiconductor equipment infrastructure for the Dholera fab and an assembly and test facility in Jagiroad, Assam. TEL will also provide training for Tata Electronics’ staff on its equipment and support research and development initiatives.
Takeshi Okubo, executive vice president of TEL, emphasized the novelty of this approach, saying, “We are exploring how we can make this happen for the benefit of our employees. This is something we have not implemented in other countries, but we believe it is essential in Dholera’s context since locations like South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore already have numerous established fabs. Dholera is entirely different.”
The planned housing corridors could also assist expatriates in adapting to Gujarat’s predominantly vegetarian diet. Dholera is situated approximately 100 km from Ahmedabad and 600 km from Mumbai. Okubo mentioned that the forthcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, currently under construction, could further enhance connectivity and attract more talent.
Other organizations, including American engineering services firm Jacobs Solutions, are investigating similar housing possibilities to support their personnel. Koti Vadlamudi, executive vice president at Jacobs, remarked, “With semiconductors in India, it might be an early story, but there’s a potential avenue for infrastructure development for the workforce there.” Sinead Giblin, general manager and senior vice president for Asia at Jacobs, noted, “We are considering partnerships to address this challenge, but it’s a bit challenging due to the remoteness.”
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/gujarat-chip-city-japanese-taiwanese-firms-plan-housing-corridors-in-dholera-tatas-fab-to-host-expat-employees/articleshow/124010354.cms
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Publish Date: 2025-09-20 10:23:00
