Intel to set up chip plant in Hambantota

Indunil HEWAGE

The world's largest chip maker, Intel is looking at the possibility to set up a chip making plant at the Sri Lanka's first ever IT park in the Hambantota area.

Intel Corporation engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of integrated circuits for computing and communications industries worldwide. It offers microprocessor products used in notebooks, netbooks, desktops, servers, workstations, storage products, embedded applications, communications products, consumer electronics devices, and handhelds.

In addition, two universities, one Singaporean and the other Indian have also expressed their willingness to set up universities at the park. The two university projects are to be completed within 18 months.

"The Hambantota IT Park is to be commissioned in November this year and will have IT and BPO related companies, a computer assembling plant and two foreign universities," ICTA Communications Head Athula Pushpakumara told Daily News Business.

Five thousand foreign and local students are expected to be provided educational facilities at these universities.

Pushpakumara said that plans are in place to develop the park in several phases. ICT human resources development will be one important area that comes under the first stage of the project. ICTA is also planning to offer scholarships to selected local students at these universities.

Commenting on the ICTA involvement in the IT park project, Pushpakumara said that the policy making and designing part of the IT park has been undertaken by ICTA and some part of funding will also come from ICTA. Funding for the project will mainly come from investors and the government will allocate money for the project through the forthcoming budget.