A significant stride towards achieving self-reliance in semiconductor manufacturing, an Indian startup has unveiled the country’s inaugural indigenously-built microcontroller chip. This breakthrough promises to offer a more cost-effective solution to consumer electronics manufacturers and digital infrastructure projects in India, further bolstering the nation’s Make-in-India initiative in the electronics sector.
Mindgrove Technologies, supported by Peak XV Partners and incubated by IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation and IIT Madras Incubation Cell, proudly introduced India’s premier commercial high-performance SoC (system on chip) named Secure IoT, according to a statement released on May 6.
The fabless semiconductor startup asserts that its RISC-V-based chip will enable domestic original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to integrate an Indian SoC into their devices, resulting in overall cost reductions. Mindgrove claims that its chip is 30 percent more economical than existing options in the market.
A microcontroller chip serves as a miniature computer embedded within a system to manage specific functions, such as receiving remote signals or displaying information. Typically equipped with one or more processing cores, memory, and peripherals, these chips play a crucial role in various devices, from smartwatches to smart city infrastructure such as connected electricity, water, and gas meters, as well as battery management and control systems in electric vehicles, as outlined in the statement.
Shashwath TR, Chief Executive and Co-founder of Mindgrove Technologies, emphasized the critical need to bridge the gap between high-end and low-end players in the embedded systems domain, particularly with a focus on cost and volume over performance, a disparity highlighted during the pandemic. Shashwath noted that Mindgrove’s emphasis on “right-sizing” has been pivotal, offering enhanced flexibility, adaptability, security, and cost-efficiency, along with robust support mechanisms.
Clocking in at 700 MHz, the chip represents a high-performance microcontroller, distinguishing itself as the sole commercially available Indian-made chip in its segment. Mindgrove also provides design support to expedite innovation and scale production efforts.
Headquartered at the IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai, the startup’s launch of India’s first indigenous microcontroller chip marks a significant milestone in the nation’s journey towards technological self-sufficiency and underscores the potential for indigenous innovation to revolutionize the semiconductor industry.