Mindgrove Technologies is a startup backed and incubated by IIT Madras. This startup has successfully designed India’s first commercial high-performance microcontroller chip. This indigenously built  microcontroller semiconductor offers a cheaper option to electric goods makers. Digital infrastructure also boosts the “Made in India” program in the electronics department. 

The startup just created the first microcontroller which is fully designed, owned, and marketed in India.  The SoC passed preliminary testing after arriving from Taiwan and is now ready to integrate with smart  electronic devices. It then targets electronic manufacturers and other mid-market consumers in India  and overseas. Even though the details of pricing are not out yet, it is confirmed that it will be 30%  cheaper than similar products in the market. The co-founder of Mindgrove Technologies said, “The actual compute core and basic system of the chip is working now”. 

Once the company gets approval after coming to an agreement, the general public can have the option  to use Indian chips in their systems instead of imported chips from China or other countries. The IoT  chip can be embedded in applications like smart fans, speakers, smart watches, access control systems, and more. In addition, another co-founder TR Shashwath mentioned that using Indian chips in our  devices can simplify supply chains by collaborating with other Indian partners. 

Image source: Mindgroves 

The founders thanked the IIT Madras ecosystem and their help in maintaining a simple design. The  startup has backing from venture capital firm Peak XV partners. They added that “if we do succeed, I hope this inspires more people to get in the deep tech product building”. TR Shashwath mentioned  that during the pandemic we got to know the wide gap between high-end and low-end players in the  embedded system space. It shows how low-end players prioritize cost and volume over the chip’s  performance. By keeping these factors in mind Mindgrove aimed to design chips that target the middle  market. “The key factor differentiating us from others is Right-sizing, when it comes to Mindgrove,  giving it an edge over others, with security, enhanced flexibility, adaptability, and cost-efficiency with  a robust support system.” He added.  

The chip delivers high performance with a RISC-V architecture and has a clock speed of 700MHz.This  is the only Indian-made chip available commercially. The headquarters of Mindgrove Technologies is  located at the IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai.

Conclusion: 

Mindgrove Technologies, supported by IIT Madras, has made India’s first commercial high performance microcontroller chip. This chip is a big step for the “Made in India” program. The chip is  cheaper than others and helps India’s electronics industry. It’s now ready to be used in smart devices  and will be 30% cheaper than similar chips. Mindgrove hopes to make Indian chips more common and  easier to use, thanks to help from IIT Madras and Peak XV partners. They want to inspire more people  to create deep-tech products. This chip is made in India and offers good performance, showing India’s  ability to innovate in technology.