KLA Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu government on 13 February 2026 to build a research and innovation campus in Chennai. The semiconductor equipment maker plans to invest up to 400 million dollars, about Rs 3,600 crore, over ten years and expects to create up to 4,000 skilled jobs.
Headquartered in Milpitas, California, KLA makes process control and yield management systems that chipmakers use to inspect wafers and measure defects during manufacturing. It posted revenue of about 13.6 billion dollars for its fiscal year ended June 2026.
What the centre will do
The planned campus sits on a 12 acre site and could grow to as much as 1.5 million square feet of built space. Work will centre on high performance computing, process control engineering software and AI driven semiconductor research, along with closer collaboration with KLA’s global teams and wider customer support. Tamil Nadu’s industries minister T R B Rajaa said it would be KLA’s largest integrated R&D presence outside its US headquarters. Dominic David, president of KLA India, said the project supports the company’s aim of making India a global centre for AI and software led chip innovation. Chief Minister M K Stalin attended the signing, as did Bobby Bell, KLA’s head of government relations.
Why Chennai
The decision builds on what KLA already has in the city. Its India operation has grown in Chennai for two decades, and the state has courted semiconductor investment through its investment agency, Guidance Tamil Nadu. Officials framed the deal as a way to strengthen Tamil Nadu’s place in the global chip value chain, and building next to an established team lets KLA grow without starting from scratch.
KLA’s India footprint
KLA has operated in India since 2004. Just five weeks before the MoU, in January 2026, it opened a Rs 300 crore R&D and innovation hub in Chennai covering about 311,000 square feet with room for up to 1,300 employees. That facility handles AI, software development, engineering and product support, and was built to LEED and WELL standards. The new campus is a separate, much larger long term project.
What it signals
Most of India’s semiconductor story has focused on fabs and assembly plants. KLA’s commitment points to a quieter trend: equipment makers moving core software and algorithm work to India. Two Chennai announcements in quick succession suggest the company sees the city as a lasting engineering base, though the campus remains at the MoU stage and will be built out over a decade.
At a glance
- Home country: United States
- Sector: Technology and Internet
- City: Chennai
- Date: February 2026
- Status: Announced
- Scale: Up to USD 400 million and 4,000 jobs over ten years on a 12 acre site
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