Assam Courts Global Investors at Davos with Semiconductors, Green Energy Push

Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, continued his intensive engagements on the third day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 at Davos, holding a series of high-level meetings with global industry leaders and policymakers to advance Assam's growth and investment journey.

As part of Team India at WEF, the Chief Minister interacted with leading global enterprises across sectors such as semiconductors, electronics, green and new energy, environment, agriculture, manufacturing and services. He emphasised that Assam is now fully prepared to attract global investments with policy clarity, improved infrastructure and a skilled workforce.

A key highlight was a productive roundtable with global leaders from the semiconductor ecosystem, focusing on expanding semiconductor manufacturing and strengthening diversified supply chains in Assam. Senior representatives from companies including Synopsys, Qualcomm, Analogue Devices, Thermo Fisher, Honeywell and Henkel participated in the discussions. The Chief Minister noted the strong interest shown by these companies in partnering with Assam.

Sarma also met Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran and held a special meeting with IBM Vice President Gary Cohn to explore opportunities in skill development, artificial intelligence adoption and related initiatives. IBM is expected to send a delegation to Assam shortly to further assess collaboration opportunities.

On Wednesday, the Chief Minister met Ikarus Janzen, Chief Operating Officer of Varaha Group, which is working to remove 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide through biochar, regenerative agriculture, and afforestation. Sarma invited the group to explore projects in Assam that could benefit the state's farming communities.

Addressing the media, the Chief Minister stated that Assam has made significant progress in agriculture, manufacturing and services, and is now placing special emphasis on emerging sectors such as semiconductors and mobile manufacturing. He added that Assam's participation at WEF as part of Team India reflects that every region of the country is now investment-ready.

Highlighting Assam's tea sector, Sarma noted that the Indo-UK Free Trade Agreement and the upcoming Indo-European Union trade agreement will open new markets for Assam tea. The state government is also providing targeted incentives to reduce production costs and make the sector more competitive.

The Chief Minister met Frederic De Wilde, CEO of Philip Morris International, to discuss Assam's goal of becoming nicotine-free. He stated that tobacco use remains a major challenge and that smoke-free and non-combustible alternatives, which claim to significantly reduce harm, would be examined thoroughly, subject to regulatory and statutory approvals.

Sarma also met with Yusuff Ali, Chairman of the UAE-based Lulu Group, which is seriously considering investments in Assam's agri-processing, hospitality, and organised retail sectors.

In addition, the Chief Minister delivered an address at a session titled "Tourism: Unlocking the Path to a USD 10 Trillion Opportunity", participated in several bilateral meetings, and interacted with international media on Assam- and India-centric issues.

Earlier in the day, Sarma had a productive meeting with Andres Penate of AB InBev. The company expressed keen interest in expanding its manufacturing operations in Assam and appreciated the state's regulatory clarity. The Chief Minister invited Penate to visit Assam in February to take the discussions forward.

Sarma remarked that the discussions over the past two days at WEF have been highly fruitful and are expected to significantly accelerate Assam's development trajectory in the coming years.

- ANI