Chip Dreams Vs Pachyderms: Tata’s Elephant Problem

India’s semiconductor dream is taking shape in Assam, where Tata Electronics is building a ₹27,000 crore chip assembly and testing facility. But this high-tech mission has run into a very unusual roadblock: wild elephants and snakes. In this episode of The Morning Brief, host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with ET’s Dia Rekhi joined by noted veterinarian popularly known as the 'Elephant Man of Asia' Dr. K.K. Sarma, to unpack the clash between cutting-edge technology and nature. From elephant herds that can cause damaging ground vibrations, to snakes that spooked construction workers, the story reveals how Tata is building elephant-proof walls and even employing snake rescuers to keep the project on track. The conversation also zooms out to a larger question: how do industries balance mega-investments in technology with the ecological realities of the land they’re built on? With anecdotes of animals disrupting industries worldwide from moths in computers to monkeys causing blackouts, this episode examines why India’s semiconductor mission must be not only technologically advanced but also ecologically future-proof.

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