A Fab For India

If India (ever) emerges as a microprocessor foundry power like China or Taiwan, one key man to thank for it will be AMD's Chairman and CEO, Hector de J. Ruiz. He's made AMD join a consortium led by SemiConductor India, which is building India's first chip manufacturing unit in Chennai. Although vastly smaller than Intel, AMD is betting its chips on India.

-Venkatesha Babu

Thinking Out Of The Box

On his fourth visit to India in the last eight years, Microsoft Chairman and the world's richest man Bill Gates announced a massive investment of $1.7 billion (Rs 7,650 crore) in India over a four-year period. If selling the Microsoft vision of the future to governments was part of his agenda, so was stocktaking the work being done by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in India. Trivia: He loves his upma.

-VB

Business On His Mind

Like his previous two trips to India, Chairman and CEO of IBM, Samuel J. Palmisano's visit went without any press interviews. But expect that to change. A good 10 per cent of IBM's global workforce is now based out of India, besides which Big Blue is chasing domestic outsourcing business in a big way.

-VB

The Showman Came To Town

Months ahead of his departure from Disney as the CEO, Michael Eisner swung by India to check out the entertainment scene and the company's TV channels. In tow was his successor Robert Iger. Though there were no commitments on starting a Disney Theme Park, Eisner made it clear that India was a long-term bet.

-VB

Cisco Boots Up

Cisco's John Chambers thinks that India will emerge as its largest market in Asia, ahead of China. And the Chairman and CEO of networking gear supplier is putting money where his mouth is: An investment of $1.1 billion (Rs 4,950 crore) and tripling of headcount to 4,200 in three years. Although Chambers didn't announce this during his visit, Cisco is believed to be considering setting up manufacturing facilities in India.

-VB

Still, Intel Inside

Intel's chairman, Craig Barrett may not want to manufacture chips in India, but he does want to do R&D. On his last visit, Barrett announced $1 billion (Rs 4,500 crore) in investment over the next five years. Nearly 80 per cent of that would go into R&D, and the rest into start-ups in telecom and technology.

-VB

The Real King Kong

The world's largest retailer made a low-profile visit to India. Understandably so. As things stand, Lee Scott's Wal-Mart-for that matter, any foreign retailer-isn't welcome in India, never mind that both Indian consumers and suppliers lose because of that. But, Scott did promise that the $285-billion "beast from Bentonville" would be here as soon as the gates are opened. Consumers, rejoice.

-VB

An Eye On The Box

Howard Stringer, Sony's new and first non-Japanese CEO, came calling on his team in India. But it was more to shake a leg (he was here for Sony Entertainment Television's 10th anniversary bash) than to take stock of the group's businesses here. Stringer, however, did think that the Japanese giant had a huge opportunity to make the new "United Sony" strategy deliver in India.

-Venkatesha Babu

Motorola, Meet India

We want to get India going like China," is what Ed Zander, Motorola's CEO of three years, said when he came to the country. And not a day too soon. Motorola entered India way back in 1987, but has little to show for it. Things could change rapidly. Motorola has just shifted into marketing high gear.

-Rahul Sachitanand

Incredible Machine

Although former Toyota Motor president Fujio Cho was in Mumbai for just a day-to launch the Innova-he had no trouble getting his message across to rivals loud and clear: "We are positively studying the possibilities of introducing small cars," he said. This being Toyota, nobody took it lightly.

-RS

Seeing Is Believing

GE chairman and CEO, Jeff Immelt's visit to India in May this year was well worth his trouble. Not only did the long-standing Dabhol row (GE is an investor) get resolved, but Immelt-never a big India fan-went back a convert. While GE has been doing business in India for 103 years, Immelt's visit may have kicked-off GE's "third wave" in India. This time around, it wants to be $5 billion (Rs 22,500 crore)-big by 2010.

-RS

Detroit To Delhi

This won't be my last visit to India," Ford Motor Company's Chairman & CEO, Bill Ford, told this magazine on his maiden visit to India for the launch of the Fiesta. It's easy to believe him. Like its bigger rival General Motors, Ford is under tremendous pressure in the US, and the only markets where it makes money are outside the US.

-RS

A Giant Thinks Small

It was the first visit by a Citigroup CEO in five years, and rather than talk shop, Chuck Prince chose to focus on micro finance. He announced a $3.5-million (Rs 15.75 crore) grant from the Citigroup foundation for the Indian School of Micro finance for Women. No doubt, he was investing in Citi's future customers.

-RS