The Chennai-based startup is gearing up for commercial deployment of its RISC-V-powered Secure IoT chip aimed at biometrics, industrial automation, wearables, and EV applications, strengthening India’s push towards indigenous semiconductor innovation.
India’s semiconductor ambitions are receiving a fresh boost as Mindgrove Technologies prepares to commercially manufacture its locally designed Secure IoT semiconductor platform for connected-device ecosystems.
Established in 2021 and incubated at IIT Madras, the Chennai-headquartered fabless chipmaker is entering the final phase before launching its production-grade microcontroller system-on-chip (SoC) built on the open-source RISC-V architecture.
The company said the chip is intended for a broad range of applications including secure biometric systems, industrial IoT deployments, smart utility meters, wearable electronics, smart access solutions, and electric vehicle battery management platforms.
Mindgrove claims its chip architecture can help electronics manufacturers reduce overall device costs by consolidating multiple functions within a single semiconductor solution, potentially lowering reliance on imported components and external modules.
The startup indicated that pilot deployments are already underway, with several companies evaluating the chip for integration into commercial products. Early adoption is expected from organisations involved in biometric authentication and telecom-linked identity verification infrastructure.
Indigenous ecosystem development gains momentum
The Secure IoT processor has reportedly been developed using a 28nm fabrication process and supports clock speeds of up to 700 MHz. Rather than competing solely on chip pricing, the company is focusing on reducing total product costs for OEMs through hardware integration and simplified system design.
To expand its domestic semiconductor ecosystem, Mindgrove has partnered with Pinetics to build locally developed system-on-module platforms for applications such as smart locks, biometric access devices, and surveillance cameras.
The collaboration is expected to support Indian electronics manufacturers seeking alternatives to imported semiconductor modules amid increasing focus on supply-chain resilience and localisation.
Startup expands into vision processing and AI-assisted design
The company is also managing global supply-chain constraints linked to semiconductor packaging materials and manufacturing dependencies, which continue to impact the broader electronics industry.
Alongside its Secure IoT platform, Mindgrove Technologies is developing a new “Vision” chip for edge AI and image-processing workloads, including CCTV systems, automotive driver-assistance technologies, dashcams, and smart television platforms.
The startup is additionally exploring artificial intelligence-driven semiconductor design techniques to improve optimisation across performance, energy efficiency, and silicon utilisation.
Mindgrove has secured backing from investors including Peak XV Partners, Speciale Invest, Mela Ventures, and Rocketship.vc.
See What’s Next in Tech With the Fast Forward Newsletter
Tweets From @varindiamag
Nothing to see here - yet
When they Tweet, their Tweets will show up here.
