CIOInsider India Magazine
India's Semiconductor Startups Move from Design to Product Building
India’s semiconductor startup ecosystem is beginning to move from designs and prototypes to working silicon, customer engagement and early commercialization, signaling an important new phase in the country’s semiconductor journey.
The significance of this transition was captured by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the inauguration of SEMICON India 2026: But work does not stop after tape-out. On that very day, work begins on the next version. And India is doing the same.
At the event, Union Minister for Electronics & IT , Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Semicon 2.0 is targeting at least 200 chip-design companies, describing the expansion as a “game changer” for building homegrown semiconductor IP. He noted that more than 105 chip-design startups had already gained access to advanced EDA tools and 20 had secured venture-capital funding.
For India’s emerging semiconductor startups, this captures the opportunity ahead. Tape-out is no longer the end of the journey—it is the beginning of productization, qualification, manufacturing, customer adoption and scale, and of the transition from design services towards a “Product Nation,” with Indian-designed chips increasingly moving into end products, said Ashok Chandak, President, IESA and SEMI India.
The pitching round was attended by more than 20 venture-capital investors, creating an important bridge between early-stage technology companies and the capital required to move from prototype to product and eventually to volume production
IESA’s Startup Mitra initiative created a dedicated startup platform at SEMICON India 2026, with 28 startup pods in Hall 2, providing affordable exhibition space and visibility to early-stage companies working across fabless semiconductor design, hardware, AI design tools, materials, chemicals and compound semiconductors.
Around 20 additional startups participated through larger booths across Halls 1 and 2, including CraftifAI, ThirdAI Automation, Indnix Technologies, Morphing Machines and Lightspeed Photonics.
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A key attraction of IESA Startup Mitra was Silicon Pitch Live, which brought 10 semiconductor and electronics startups ( from pool of 100+) directly in front of investors.
The pitching round was attended by more than 20 venture-capital investors, creating an important bridge between early-stage technology companies and the capital required to move from prototype to product and eventually to volume production.
