BENGALURU: Sridhar Vembu, CEO and co-founder of SaaS unicorn Zoho Corp, stated on Wednesday that the company is not directly engaged in the semiconductor initiative and is merely an investor in Silectric Semiconductor Manufacturing, which is currently awaiting government approval.
“Zoho lacks expertise in the semiconductor field. Our strengths lie in software and technology… We are not knowledgeable about semiconductors, which is why we are only investing, and the application is still under review,” he shared with TNIE.
This statement follows recent reports indicating that Zoho’s semiconductor venture is set to establish operations in Odisha. “The government is critically evaluating the proposals regarding the technologies being introduced, the providers of those technologies, and the long-term viability of the companies involved… These are essential questions, and I appreciate that the government is addressing them.
We cannot confirm whether we will be among the approved applicants; only after that can we provide any insights about the location,” he clarified.
Once Silectric obtains clearance, it plans to manufacture semiconductors for power electronics. Vembu mentioned that he has brought on board two of his former classmates and a few other individuals for this venture. Regarding data centers, he noted that they aim to establish facilities in every country and currently have 18 data centers.
Zoho, which operates two data centers in India—located in Mumbai and Chennai—is also exploring additional sites, primarily in rural areas close to its customer base. On Wednesday, the Chennai-based tech company announced its entry into the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) network.