28 October 2013
Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala), a wholly owned investment vehicle of the Government of Abu Dhabi, is eying opportunities with a proposed USD 3.2 billion microchip research and development center and a semiconductor production facility in Indjia, located 40 kilometers north east of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
"One part of the MoU is related to building a science/research center for semiconductors [and] microchips - the first stage in the construction of a microchip factory in Serbia. The investment for the research and development center is estimated at more than USD 200 million, while investment [in the factory] is estimated at more than USD 3 billion," said Slobodan Markovic, export promotion adviser at SIEPA, in an exclusive interview with Zawya.
Markovic reiterated that Mubadala will inject huge investment into a microchip manufacturing facility only after a detailed feasibility study has been carried out. A microchip project in a country close to the European Union could support Global Foundries, a Silicon-Valley-based chip manufacturing company owned by a Mubadala-affiliate company, he added.
SIEPA is a government agency that assists foreign investors looking to enter the Serbian market. Many ICT companies from Serbia were present at the Gitex seeking partnerships to tap the potential business from the proposed Mubadala investment.
The technological cooperation agreement between the two governments signed by Serbian first deputy prime minister Aleksandar Vucic and UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, also opens avenues for both countries to explore opportunities in the field of defense, as well as strengthening their strategic partnership.
Markovic added that "a major advantage of setting up a microchip manufacturing facility in Serbia is that we are on the doorstep of European Union and a candidate country for joining the [European economic bloc]. We have a skilled work force."
He also revealed that the planned facility will be located close to the first IT and business park being set up by the Indian firm Embassy Group in Indijia, near Belgrade in Serbia. The first phase of the Embassy TechZones IT & Business Park in Indjija is being prepared and the project will add 250,000 square meters of office space in the first phase and a further 2.7 million square feet of space in the next five years.
© Zawya 2013
Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala), a wholly owned investment vehicle of the Government of Abu Dhabi, is eying opportunities with a proposed USD 3.2 billion microchip research and development center and a semiconductor production facility in Indjia, located 40 kilometers north east of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
A senior official from the Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SIEPA) told Zawya during the Gitex technology week in Dubai that Mubadala will conduct a detailed feasibility study regarding the projects' potentials. The disclosure comes after the Government of Serbia and Mubadala signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that seeks to explore opportunities in various sectors including advanced technology, semiconductors and microchips, aviation technology, telecommunications and renewable energy.
"One part of the MoU is related to building a science/research center for semiconductors [and] microchips - the first stage in the construction of a microchip factory in Serbia. The investment for the research and development center is estimated at more than USD 200 million, while investment [in the factory] is estimated at more than USD 3 billion," said Slobodan Markovic, export promotion adviser at SIEPA, in an exclusive interview with Zawya.
Markovic reiterated that Mubadala will inject huge investment into a microchip manufacturing facility only after a detailed feasibility study has been carried out. A microchip project in a country close to the European Union could support Global Foundries, a Silicon-Valley-based chip manufacturing company owned by a Mubadala-affiliate company, he added.
SIEPA is a government agency that assists foreign investors looking to enter the Serbian market. Many ICT companies from Serbia were present at the Gitex seeking partnerships to tap the potential business from the proposed Mubadala investment.
The technological cooperation agreement between the two governments signed by Serbian first deputy prime minister Aleksandar Vucic and UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, also opens avenues for both countries to explore opportunities in the field of defense, as well as strengthening their strategic partnership.
Markovic added that "a major advantage of setting up a microchip manufacturing facility in Serbia is that we are on the doorstep of European Union and a candidate country for joining the [European economic bloc]. We have a skilled work force."
He also revealed that the planned facility will be located close to the first IT and business park being set up by the Indian firm Embassy Group in Indijia, near Belgrade in Serbia. The first phase of the Embassy TechZones IT & Business Park in Indjija is being prepared and the project will add 250,000 square meters of office space in the first phase and a further 2.7 million square feet of space in the next five years.
© Zawya 2013
