By Express News Service

KOCHI: The energy and leadership towards the startup ecosystem have been very positive over the past two or three years in the state, said Kerala Government Digital Advisory Board chairman Madhavan Nambiar here on Wednesday.“The best example is the Maker Village.

With 48 incubatees, it is the largest electronic incubator in India,” he said while inaugurating the Bengaluru-based Cerium System’s new design centre.

“Kerala’s name has consistently been in the forefront of socio-economic growth. And historically, Kerala’s electronics industry has thrived and set an example for other states in the country. Now, the environment has become favourable again and we strive to work towards building a robust hardware electronic manufacturing industry.”

Indian Electronics and Semi-Conductor Association (IESA) chairman Anil Kumar Muniswami said India cannot aspire to be a superpower until it becomes the leader in silicon design and manufacturing technology. He said China, grasping its importance, is investing more than USD 40 billion per year for the next five years to be the leader in this segment.

“We have a vision of making India a hub for electronic design and manufacturing by 2025. Until the product design does not happen here, manufacturing won’t pick up in the country,” said Muniswami.

Impressed by the progress made by Maker Village in a short span of time, IESA has offered to provide mentorship and other forms of help to introduce the products of the companies incubated there into the market. IESA is also planning to open its branch office in Kerala, and most probably, it would opt for Kochi as its base.

Welcoming new companies to invest in Kerala, Kerala Electronics and IT Secretary M Sivasankar said the state offers a better quality of manpower that makes a substantial difference to any company looking to invest. He said the state will start equipping students with the required skill sets, through a rigorous training and evaluation mechanism, to upgrade the talent pool.