- Amon added that Qualcomm’s teams in India and the U.S. do the same kind of research and development, saying that the company’s 2-nanometer chips are designed in both countries.
- The Qualcomm chief also noted that Apple’s iPhones are made in India and that many of the chipmaker's customers are considering building their products in the country.
- He added that the world needs more semiconductor manufacturing as a whole, not just the latest cutting-edge ones.
Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) CEO Cristiano Amon reportedly said on Thursday that India could be a destination for foundries.
During an interview with CNBC on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the Qualcomm CEO also called for the diversification of the global semiconductor supply chain.
“We’re very proud and privileged, as a global company, of the team that we have built in India. Outside of the United States, one of the largest R&D sites for Qualcomm is India,” he said.
Qualcomm shares were down nearly 0.6% in Thursday’s pre-market trade. Retail sentiment around the company trended in the ‘bearish’ territory at the time of writing.
Advanced Chip Designs: India Versus The US
Amon added that Qualcomm’s teams in India and the U.S. do the same kind of research and development, saying that the company’s 2-nanometer chips are designed in both countries.
“I think that speaks to the role India has in semiconductors. Not only the manpower and the ability to have design that is made in India only for Indian companies, but for global companies,” he added.
The Qualcomm chief also noted that Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhones are made in India, and that many of the chipmaker's customers are considering building their products in the country.
“It goes into starting to develop elements of a semiconductor supply chain. We’ve been talking about that for a while. I think the world would benefit from having a diversified semiconductor supply chain,” Amon said.
World Needs More Semiconductor Manufacturing, Says Amon
The Qualcomm CEO added that the world needs more semiconductor manufacturing as a whole, not just the latest cutting-edge ones.
“You have a very broad surface area for manufacturing of semiconductors. At the same time that you have a leading node, you have a lot of what we call mass nodes. They’re going to be relevant for many, many industries,” he said, while highlighting that India is starting with mass nodes now.
The nodes Amon referred to as “lead” are those featuring the most advanced fabrication processes, like 2nm, 3nm, 5nm, and 7nm. These are used in smartphone chips, for example. “Mass” nodes or legacy nodes, on the other hand, refer to older, well-established technologies, using 28nm and above.
QCOM stock is down 16% year-to-date and 18% over the past 12 months.
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