Ahmedabad: Chief minister Bhupendra Patel and deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi said on Tuesday that the state is aiming to sustain development through new-age sectors such as semiconductors and data centres, while new policies for hotels, concerts and expos will be announced soon.Speaking at the inauguration of the centenary celebrations of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Patel said, “More than 100 Fortune 500 companies are operating in the state, underscoring Gujarat’s standing as a preferred destination for global investment. Gujarat is set to continue to grow faster with new age industries such as semiconductors and data centres.” He said Gujarat contributes 8.3% to India’s GDP, 18% to the country’s industrial output and 27% to total exports. Patel also said the state is the first to prepare a “Viksit Gujarat @2047” roadmap, targeting a $3.5 trillion economy with a focus on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, green growth and women-led development. Sanghavi said Gujarat’s next phase of industrial expansion will centre on data centres, semiconductors, global capability centres, defence and aircraft manufacturing, positioning the state as a hub for advanced industry and high-value infrastructure. On digital infrastructure, he said Gujarat is expected to add more data centre capacity over the next two to three years than the rest of India combined. He said semiconductor manufacturing is becoming a key pillar of the state’s industrial strategy.Asia’s largest fabrication plant is being developed at Dholera, while Sanand is emerging as a major assembly, test, marking and packaging hub. Similar industrial infrastructure is also being developed in Becharaji, Vadodara and South Gujarat to avoid congestion in a single corridor. Alongside industrial growth, the state is expanding urban and event-linked infrastructure. Sanghavi said concert venues with capacities ranging from 15,000 to 1.25 lakh are being developed near the Narendra Modi Stadium. Hotel plots are being allotted, and policies covering concerts, expos, hotels and sports stadium-led development will be announced shortly. He also said Gujarat is strengthening sports infrastructure with a focus on creating an ecosystem that keeps stadiums viable beyond major tournaments.FICCI president Anant Goenka said Gujarat is building scale in future-ready manufacturing across centres, including Dholera, Sanand and Vadodara. FICCI Gujarat state council chair Gokul Jaykrishna said, “The state has consistently turned vision into execution and set benchmarks for the country.” Highlighting the need for a strong and supportive ecosystem that fosters research, Pankaj Patel, chairman, Zydus Group, said, “The only way to grow from where we are today is through research.“Pranav Adani, director, Adani Enterprises, highlighted the group’s copper smelter set to be the world’s largest single-location copper production facility as a testament to Gujarat’s manufacturing credentials. With an investment of close to a billion dollars, the facility is nearing production. On clean energy, he pointed to the group’s 30-gigawatt renewable energy project at Khavda near the India-Pakistan border, a site that, at full capacity, will be the world’s largest renewable energy production facility.
