India can fast-track semiconductor, battery manufacturing by learning from China: Welson Power MD Wally Jang

New Delhi [India], January 5 : India does not have the time to build its semiconductor and battery ecosystem entirely from scratch and can significantly accelerate manufacturing by learning from China's experience, said Wally Jang, Managing Director of Welson Power Technology (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., on Wednesday.

On the sidelines of a seminar at PHD House in New Delhi, Jang said India does not have the luxury of spending decades developing technologies independently, as China did over the last several years.

"China took 10, 15, or even 30 years to go from zero to one. India does not have that much time," Jang told ANI. "India can take the existing knowledge, assemble it here, manufacture it here, and deliver solutions much faster."

His remarks come at a time when China has tightened export controls on rare earth minerals used in batteries, chips, and other critical machinery, prompting India to step up efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities. India has launched the Indian Semiconductor Mission and the National Critical Minerals Mission to boost chip production and secure supplies of rare earth and critical minerals.

"If China works with India, we should be the world of chips," Jang said, referring to controllers and integrated systems used in batteries and energy storage. "Working together, we can improve efficiency, safety and cost."

Jang said that while there is a perception that China has superior technology, the real difference lies in timing. "China and India, only the time is different. What China has today, after two-and-a-half hours, it comes to India," he said, emphasising that technology transfer and local assembly could fast-track India's growth.

He said India is at a critical stage where it can scale up energy storage by combining global experience with domestic manufacturing under the Make in India initiative. Highlighting the importance of energy storage systems (ESS), Jang said renewable energy, particularly solar, requires reliable storage solutions to address timing and distribution challenges.

"Solar can produce power, but the problem is timing. We don't always need energy when it is generated. The solution is how to store it, transport it, and use it safely and efficiently," he said.

Jang said safety remains the biggest concern as energy storage capacity expands. Welson Power, he added, is positioning itself as a one-stop ESS solutions provider, offering battery management systems, controllers, inverters, and integrated storage solutions, while supporting local assembly through SKD and CKD models.

The company plans to invest around USD 500 million and is targeting up to 5 gigawatt-hours of battery manufacturing capacity. Welson Power has also supplied over 1.5 lakh units in India's rooftop solar segment.

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