India will give 5G the scale, says Qualcomm CEO Cristiano R Amon

Open to sourcing chips from India if suppliers are ready

India will give scale to 5G services and that will benefit several other markets, as well, said Cristiano R Amon, president and chief executive of Qualcomm, on Tuesday, while interacting with a group of journalists here. The San Diego-based chief of the technology major also believes that 5G would be an inflection point for Digital India—a flagship government programme.

Referring to Make in India as an extremely successful project, he said: “We are very impressed with what India is doing with these initiatives.’’ In the midst of a global chip shortage, Amon pointed at the importance of a “geographically diversified supply chain’’. Replying to a question, he said if Qualcomm’s semiconductor suppliers agree to manufacture in India and have the right incentives, the company “would buy their fab’’. He added that there have been positive discussions between India and other governments about how to participate in the new global semiconductor supply chain. “’As India looks to find its role in leveraging its talent and knowledge, we will be happy to bring our scale (to India),’’ he said.  

Qualcomm and GlobalFoundries recently signed a multi-billion pact to double their long-term manufacturing agreements for chips used in various sectors. The chips would be produced in the US, Germany, Singapore, and France, signalling a diversification in geography. 

Amon, who’s been with Qualcomm for more than 25 years in many roles, took up the top job last year at the multinational company, which has been at the centre of many things—from chip-making to mobile communication to automotive industry, and of course 5G. 

Coinciding with the 5G launch in India, the executive travelled across cities to assess the opportunity that the new technology would bring. He also inaugurated a Qualcomm building and interacted with employees at an all-hands meeting in Bengaluru.

Highlighting the fact that India is among the highest consumers of data, Amon said the role of 5G should be seen beyond that of a mobile phone. 

When asked what could drive the 5G success, he named retail, health care, entertainment, and transportation, among other industries. “Every device at every price point would result in proliferation of 5G,’’ he pointed out. 

He added that if 4G was about broadband to mobile devices, 5G would democratise computing power. “The four pillars to drive 5G success in India would be scale, industrial revolution, opportunity to design own architecture, and tapping into cloud computing.’’

Responding to a question on preparation for 6G services after a decade of work on 5G, Amon said: “I have been involved in every ‘G’ and every ‘G’ had a problem to solve….’’, adding that they have all transformed lives.

With an employee strength of 18,000 in India, the focus is clearly on R&D, Amon said. Last year, 3,000 employees were added in an effort to “bring 5G to scale in India’’.