Infineon Urgently Expanding Workforce in India and Vietnam

According to Chua Chee Seong, President and CEO of the Asia-Pacific region at Infineon, the company is actively recruiting additional workforce in India, a crucial hub for its research and development in Asia. Additionally, Infineon is exploring ways to expand and hire employees for its new facility in Vietnam. 

Chua emphasized the growing significance of the Southeast Asia and South Asia regions in the electronic chip manufacturing and workforce supply chain, predicting a continual rise in importance in the coming years. He highlighted the regions' neutrality in a dynamic political environment, making them ideal locations for efficient operations. 

In recent years, India has emerged as a significant player in the semiconductor industry, providing not only skilled labor but also becoming an important market for chips used in automobiles and electronics. Infineon has reportedly hired 2,000 chip design engineers and software developers in India. 

Chua stated, "We observe other companies intensively seeking talent in India, so we are also urgently looking for new locations in India to expand our branches," likening India's rise to that of China 20-30 years ago. 

Infineon's CEO identified the automotive and motorcycle industry as particularly promising, highlighting India's potential to scale up its current market from 20 million to 30 million vehicles, akin to China's trajectory 20-30 years ago. With only 4 million cars presently, India has ample room for development. The 20 million-strong motorcycle market in India also presents significant growth opportunities for electric bike chips and battery technology. 

The battle for skilled personnel in the electronic chip sector is heating up in Southeast Asia and India, with chip manufacturers and other technology companies increasing their presence in the region. This trend is further fueled by the desire to diversify supply chains outside of China. 

India has attracted major companies, including Intel, Qualcomm, AMD, Applied Materials, and Micron, establishing R&D centers and even manufacturing facilities in the country. Apple's leading suppliers, Foxconn and Pegatron, are also ramping up iPhone production in India. 

Meanwhile, Vietnam is emerging as a crucial hub for electronic chip developers. A notable example is the leading U.S. chip design software manufacturer Synopsys, which has established a 600-person R&D team in Vietnam. Other top U.S. chip developers like Nvidia and Marvell are also expanding their engineering teams in the country. 

Vincent Chang, CEO for the Asia-Pacific and cross-continental regions at Advantech, the world's largest industrial computer manufacturer, revealed that the company's revenue in Southeast Asia has doubled since 2015. Chang expects the region to become increasingly important, and Advantech has launched an R&D software center in Pune, India, with plans to hire hundreds of software engineers.