Tamil Nadu is keen to project its strengths as a knowledge economy and the upcoming US visit of TN Chief Minister MK Stalin and the industries department officials will showcase TN’s talent pool in new-age sectors.

The CM’s visit to the United States will help establish Tamil Nadu as a global knowledge economy, TN Industries minister TRB Rajaa told businessline. “During this visit, we will engage with industries where the US holds a global advantage, such as Global Capability Centers (GCCs), artificial intelligence, tech R&D, and financial services. Tamil Nadu’s youth, who are well-educated and are being upskilled through initiatives like Naan Mudhalvan, are poised to be the future leaders in these fields,” he added. The minister is already in the US in preparation for the CM’s visit.

The delegation is set to leave for the US on August 27 and the visit is said to span around 15 days and comprise meetings with executives of large companies and members of the Tamil diaspora. State officials note that engagements have been curated to meet both existing US companies in Tamil Nadu looking to expand into high-skilled areas and bringing in new companies to the State.

“We are looking at a renewed thrust in projecting our human resources advantage to global companies and how the State is best suited as a GCC destination for high-value work and jobs,” Arun Roy IAS, Industries Secretary, TN Industries department, told Businessline. “We will be showcasing to the companies that the state has the talent to support high-value R&D jobs and this in turn will create high-paying job roles in Tamil Nadu,” he added.

Officials did not confirm if any investment MoUs are set to be signed during the visit. However, industry sources note that given the upcoming elections in the US, it is likely that big-ticket investments by large companies will be timed after the US polls.

Last week, in a glimpse of developments post the Global Investors Meet, TN held an investment conclave where the CM inaugurated 19 projects with an investment of ₹17,616 crore and laid the foundation stone for 28 projects with an investment of ₹51,157 crore. State officials told businessline that a high-level committee headed by the industries minister monitors the proposals, and the state has defined processes and internal project tracking and management tools to ensure that commitments move from one stage to the next.

Among the MoUs signed at GIM in January 2024, large investments by Saint Gobain, Hyundai, Sembcorp, and Schwing Stetter, are a few that have made a quick transition from MoUs to project commencement stages. Similarly, medical device maker Omron’s first plant in India in Chennai, was a result of a delegation visit to Japan in May 2023, and is now in trial production stage.