India Poised to Become a Chip Design Hub: Insights from Saankhya Labs’ Co-Founder and CEO

Parag Naik, Co-Founder and CEO of Saankhya Labs, shared his thoughts with The Economic Times on India’s potential to emerge as a global chip design hub and the pivotal role Saankhya Labs is playing in the nation’s semiconductor landscape.

Saankhya Labs, a Bengaluru-based technology leader, has been at the forefront of creating advanced chipsets for applications in defence, satellite communication, and broadcast. The company recently introduced Pruthvi-3, a mobile-ready, next-generation system-on-chip (SoC) designed for use in mobile devices, broadcasting, satellite, and defence communications.

The company is also a key technology partner to ISRO and has embarked on a significant project with the Indian Railways. As part of this initiative, Saankhya Labs has equipped over 1,000 locomotives with its chips, enabling precise location tracking with a maximum time lag of just 30 seconds.

Despite these advancements, the Indian chip design industry faces challenges, particularly a lack of venture capital interest and funding for hardware and product-focused firms. “This is also not the kind of business that can be built out of college — you need some industry experience and have to earn some grey hair first,” said Parag Naik. He further emphasized the uphill battle in changing perceptions, stating, “We have spent a lot of time fighting the notion that you can’t build a tech business out of India.”