Assam Eyes Southeast Asia Market Via India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway To Boost Semiconductor Exports

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday (26 May) in an interview with the Mint said the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) highway will become a strategic economic corridor for Assam within the next three years, enabling the state to export semiconductor chips and attract investments from Southeast Asia.

“The tri-nation highway will be ready for operations within the next three years, as certain points of stress in the Myanmar region ease out. Once this happens, Assam will have direct connectivity with the South-east Asia region—which could be key to field electronics clients in the region to export chips made in India, and also have companies from the region come set-up their factories in Assam," Sarma said in the interview.

While acknowledging the advanced ecosystems in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat, Sarma noted that they were providing subsidies and this strategic advantage for companies.

He also announced further meetings with industry stakeholders in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai before unveiling new investments in Assam.

A cornerstone of Assam’s semiconductor ambitions is Tata’s upcoming chip testing plant in Jagiroad, which is expected to produce up to 48 million chips per day.

The facility is anticipated to attract key suppliers, particularly in the gas sector, to set up nearby. The CM underlined that the state’s subsidy programme, coupled with the tri-nation highway project, would be instrumental in drawing such essential ancillary industries to the region.

He further added, “In the long run, we hope to create mass-scale employment… this will lead to industrialisation and development at scale.”