Karnataka to Establish Electronics Manufacturing Cluster in Mysuru
The Government of Karnataka has earmarked 235.5 acres at Kochanahalli Industrial Area in Mysuru district for an electronics manufacturing cluster (EMC) at a total project cost of Rs 245.67 crore, excluding land cost. This includes central financial assistance of Rs 122.83 crore from the union ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY). “It will be a zone where semiconductors and their manufacturing will be encouraged. Companies have shown interest, and we have also allotted land,” State IT Minister Priyank Kharge told ET.
While Bengaluru will remain the semiconductor design hub of the country, Mysuru will complement it by focusing on semiconductor-related work. The state has requested production-linked incentives and fiscal support from MeitY. Kaynes Technology India has submitted a letter of intent to serve as an anchor unit with a proposed investment of Rs 150 crore on 20 acres of land. Gopalan Aerospace has proposed an investment of Rs 200 crore on 50 acres, and Krypton India Solutions has proposed an investment of Rs 175 crore on 10 acres. Kaynes is also awaiting the Centre’s approval for an Outsourced Semiconductor and Assembly Test (OSAT) facility in Gujarat.
Other companies proposing investments include Virtulive Technologies (Rs 20 crore, 20 acres), Wuerth Electronik India (Rs 30 crore, 10 acres), Proxelera (Rs 20 crore, 5 acres), and LeePra Technologies (Rs 2.5 crore, 2 acres).
On the project’s status, Minister Kharge mentioned that the application and detailed project report have been submitted to the Centre, and all queries from the Software Technology Park of India (STPI) are being addressed. A physical inspection of the site was completed on May 28 this year by STPI, and the application is in the process of approval from MeitY.
The EMC cluster will include existing players in the electronics sector like Kaynes Technologies, AT&S, Wurth Electronik, and Tycoon Innovative Technologies. These companies specialize in printed circuit board assembly and have been operational in Mysuru for years. Additionally, the availability of water from the Kabini river is beneficial, as the semiconductor industry is water-intensive.
Skill centers in the area, such as the Lahari common facility center, established under the Centre’s EMC scheme, provide high-quality testing and certifying facilities. CIPET Mysuru offers technical support services and consultancy, focusing on design, CAD/CAM, processing, toolroom, and testing. The Karnataka German Technical Training Institute provides training in electrical, CNC, automotive mechatronics, and information technology.
The Centre notified the EMC scheme in April 2020 to address challenges faced by industries for quality infrastructure and to develop a robust electronics manufacturing ecosystem in the country. Karnataka applied to MeitY for setting up EMC in the EMC 2.0 scheme in Mysuru district on March 31 last year.
In terms of connectivity and logistics, the Kochanahalli EMC is six km from Mysuru airport and 200 km from Bengaluru International Airport. The nearest seaport is Mangaluru Port, around 275 km away. Mysuru railway station is 18 km from the cluster, and the Kadakola inland container depot (under development) is eight km away. Bengaluru inland container depot is around 143 km away.