Mindgrove Technologies, in collaboration with AtumX Innovations, has launched ‘AGNI’, India’s first developer board powered by an indigenously designed semiconductor chip, marking a significant milestone in the country’s semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The initiative will begin with five government schools in Chennai, where nearly 1,000 students will gain hands-on experience in embedded systems and programming using hardware designed and manufactured in India.
The rollout is being supported by the Atal Innovation Mission and is expected to expand to government schools in several other cities over the coming months, creating wider access to indigenous technology for young learners. AGNI is powered by Mindgrove’s Secure IoT System-on-Chip (SoC), India’s first commercial-grade, high-performance microcontroller designed for a wide range of embedded applications. AtumX has customised the platform for educational use with an intuitive integrated development environment (IDE) that enables students to progress from visual block-based programming to advanced coding and artificial intelligence applications.
The launch represents the first time Indian students will learn and build projects using a developer board based entirely on an Indian-designed chip. Until now, engineering students, educators and electronics manufacturers have largely depended on imported development platforms for prototyping and product development. AGNI provides a homegrown alternative that supports innovation from the classroom to commercial deployment.
Shashwath TR, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mindgrove Technologies, said the company aims to give aspiring engineers an opportunity to begin their technology journey on an Indian platform. He noted that the developer board has been designed and manufactured in the country to encourage self-reliance in semiconductor technology while strengthening India’s engineering talent pool. According to him, as more students, engineers and original equipment manufacturers adopt indigenous development platforms, they will contribute to building a stronger domestic semiconductor ecosystem.
The initiative also seeks to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry requirements by providing students with the same development tools used by professional engineers. Early exposure to indigenous semiconductor technology is expected to prepare learners for higher education, research and future product development while reducing dependence on imported hardware.
Akash J, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of AtumX Innovations, said introducing students to Indian-designed chips at an early stage will inspire the next generation of innovators. He added that the AGNI platform has the potential to support future engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs as they develop products, file patents and establish technology ventures using hardware created in India.
Mindgrove Technologies is a semiconductor company based at the IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai. The company develops advanced, scalable and reliable System-on-Chips (SoCs) under the Mindgrove Silicon brand for applications across the Internet of Things (IoT), automotive, vision systems and other embedded technologies. Its flagship product, Secure IoT, is India’s first commercial-grade high-performance microcontroller, developed to deliver high performance with low power consumption and cost efficiency. A Design Linked Incentive (DLI)-approved startup, Mindgrove was founded by Shashwath T R and Sharan Srinivas J. The company is backed by investors including Rocketship.vc, Speciale Invest, Mela Ventures, Peak XV Partners, Nishchay Goel, Anshul Goel and Whiteboard Capital. It is incubated by IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation and the IIT Madras Incubation Cell.
Founded in 2022 and incubated at Anna Incubator, Chennai, AtumX Innovations is focused on making technology education more engaging through hands-on learning. The company develops interactive STEM products, including buildable drones, humanoids and companion robots, enabling students to assemble, program and experiment while gaining practical skills. AtumX believes that innovation begins with creating and exploring, encouraging young learners to understand technology by building it themselves.
With a network of more than 500 schools and 35 STEM EdTech partners across India, the United States and Australia, AtumX is helping bring indigenous technologies from research laboratories into classrooms. Its latest platform, AGNI, introduces India’s first indigenous chip-powered developer board to students, providing them with an opportunity to learn electronics, coding and embedded systems using technology designed and developed in India.
