The Union Cabinet has approved a sixth chipmaking facility under the India Semiconductor Mission. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.Also in the letter:■ Microsoft cuts staff■ India Xs Chinese news accounts■ US tech firms’ Desert StormCabinet clears Rs 3,706 crore HCL-Foxconn semiconductor plant in UP's Jewar 121165719Union minister Ashwini VaishnawUnion minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday announced the approval of a sixth semiconductor facility under the India Semiconductor Mission, with an investment of over Rs 3,700 crore in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh.Details:The plant will be set up through a joint venture between HCL and Foxconn.It will produce display driver chips for mobile phones, laptops, PCs, and automobiles.The plant will have a capacity to produce 20,000 silicon wafers and 36 million chips monthly.It will start production in 2027.It is projected to create 2,000 jobs.Tell me more: What we understand is that once this unit is there, then the display panel plant will also come to India. This will meet 40% of India's capacity. It is a large plant. It will also meet Foxconn's requirements for the rest of the world, Vaishnaw said.The government has already cleared five other semiconductor projects:Micron Technology’s assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) facility in Gujarat.Tata Electronics-Powerchip Semiconductor fab in Dholera.Kaynes Semicon plant in Sanand, Gujarat.Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test (TSAT) in Assam.CG Power-Renesas Electronics Corp-Stars Microelectronics unit in Sanand, Gujarat.‘India is a long game; over time, it will become one of the biggest markets for us’: Airbnb's Brian Chesky 121165679Brian Chesky, CEO, AirbnbAirbnb is banking on India’s booming Gen Z and millennial population to transform a fast-growing market into one of its largest. The company projects that Indian travellers' global spending will reach $29 billion by 2029.“We are still in an investment mode in India, and we will be investing very heavily in the coming years,” said cofounder and chief executive Brian Chesky, in an interview with ET. Edited excerpts: New plans: “There are three major ones, and probably the biggest is what we’re calling Airbnb Services….Some assumed the next big thing would be cars or something like that. But over time, we realised the most valuable thing people have isn’t their home or their car—it’s their time, their skills, their creativity. On becoming a hotel chain: “Ideally, I want to keep everything people already love about booking an Airbnb — and add everything they love about booking a hotel…..And beyond services, there’s something hotels fundamentally don’t have: experiences. That’s a space we’ve always leaned into.”Tell me more: Services such as in-home spa treatments, catered meals, and personal fitness sessions are central to Airbnb’s next phase. Already rolled out across 260 cities, these offerings are now available under a new ‘Airbnb Services’ tab in the app, with prices starting at under $50.Read the full interview here.Microsoft’s mass layoffs come despite a streak of profitable quarters 121166350Tech giant Microsoft is cutting around 6,000 jobs, nearly 3% of its workforce, in its largest round of layoffs in over two years.Driving the news:Microsoft is letting go of 1,985 employees at its Redmond headquarters, primarily in software engineering and product management.This follows a smaller round of redundancies in January.It marks Microsoft’s biggest workforce reduction since 2023, when it slashed 10,000 jobs, nearly 5% of its staff, amid a broader post-pandemic tech industry reset.Yes, but: The company continues to post strong financial results.Sales topped $70 billion, a 13% year-on-year increase.Profit climbed 18% to $25.8 billion.Revenue in Microsoft’s Azure cloud division rose 33% in the quarter ending March 31, beating analyst expectations of 29.7%, according to financial research firm Visible Alpha.Then why? Microsoft is aggressively investing in artificial intelligence (AI), ramping up spending for 10 straight quarters. The company is reallocating resources to focus on these high-growth areas, prompting the layoffs.Other layoffs: In 2025, Google laid off around 200 employees, Meta reduced its workforce by 3,600 jobs, or 5%, and Apple cut 100 positions in its digital services division.Also Read: Google a 'monopolist', says Y Combinator in court briefIndia blocks X accounts of Chinese mouthpiece Global Times, other news agencies 121165875The Indian government on Wednesday blocked the X account of Global Times, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, and the news agency Xinhua in India.Cautious approach: The Centre took issue with the alleged misinformation shared by these accounts about India’s recent military strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.The Indian Embassy in China publicly criticised these handles, urging them to verify facts and cross-check their sources. This followed viral posts from Pakistani media and social media accounts claiming an Indian Rafale jet had been shot down near Bahawalpur.Verbatim: “Several pro-Pakistan handles are spreading baseless claims in the context of Operation Sindoor, attempting to mislead the public,” the Embassy said in another post, calling it a “serious lapse” in responsibility.What else: India has also blocked the Turkish news outlet TRT World following Turkey's support for Pakistan during its military standoff with India in 'Operation Sindoor'.Also Read: X's @GlobalAffairs handle unblocked, withheld post on blocking orders visible nowUS tech firms Nvidia, AMD secure AI deals as Trump tours Gulf states 121165844US tech firms announced major AI deals in the Middle East during President Donald Trump’s four-day visit to Gulf states, which saw $600 billion in investment commitments from Saudi Arabia.Deal-making: Nvidia will supply hundreds of thousands of AI chips in Saudi Arabia, starting with 18,000 of its latest Blackwell chips for the new Saudi AI startup, Humain.Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) also committed to a $10 billion deal with Humain.OpenAI is reportedly planning a new data centre in the UAE under its Stargate project with SoftBank, aiming to expand its global footprint.Humain touch: Chaired by Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Humain will operate under the Public Investment Fund, offering AI services including data centres, infrastructure, cloud capabilities, and advanced AI models.