Cyient, Azimuth launch semiconductor chip with wide range of applications; IP to reside in India

New Delhi [India], November 17 (ANI): Hyderabad-headquartered Cyient Semiconductors and Azimuth AI jointly announced the launch of a new chip, a power semiconductor chip, for use in smart meter applications, among a wide range of other applications.

Azimuth led the design of the chip, and they will sell the chip, Krishna Bodanapu, Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Cyient Semiconductors, told ANI on Monday.

"Cyient Semiconductor developed the chip. And it is the first of a kind power chip to be designed in India," Bodanapu said. "The IP will reside in India. And with all the smart meters that are coming up in India, this is a very big step because this is the first indigenously designed chip that is being launched."

Asked about the timeline of the commercial production of the chip, he said it is expected towards the middle to later half of next year. "So it will be in commercial applications by the end of next year," he said.

Regarding future plans, he stated that the idea is to increase the number of chips designed in India and with IP ownership in India.

"As you know, lot of the ecosystem is developing on OSATs even fabs, et cetera. But the design component is something that is not being very much done in India right now. And the idea is to increase the design component. So the IP for Indian applications is designed in India and remains in India."

The chip is now manufactured overseas because there is not much manufacturing capacity in India.

"Right now it takes about three years from the start to commercialization of the chip and our intent is to bring it down significantly," Bodanapu added.

The chip was unveiled today by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics and IT, marking a pivotal step in India's journey toward self-reliance and global leadership in semiconductor design and deep-tech innovation.

Developed collaboratively by Azimuth AI and Cyient Semiconductors, ARKA GKT-1 chip integrates multi-core custom computing, advanced analogue sensing, memory and intelligent power management into a single, highly energy-efficient SoC. Designed for smart utilities, advanced metering, battery management, smart cities and industrial automation, it brings real-time intelligence to the edge while maintaining exceptionally low power consumption.

Praveen Yasarapu, Founder and CEO, Azimuth AI, said, "ARKA GKT-1 is the realization of our vision to bring intelligent, low-power silicon to the edge. It addresses high-growth markets such as smart utilities, energy management, battery systems, and industrial intelligence. This milestone validates our technology roadmap and sets the stage for largescale deployment and commercialization." Azimuth AI is an Embedded Silicon Product company developing highly differentiated ASICs for Edge Computing Applications.

Separately, the central government has approved applications under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) for another 17 applicants with a total investment of about Rs 7,172 crore, after nodding the first tranche of seven applicants a few days ago, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan said on Monday.

The details of the applicants, among others, will be announced shortly, the Secretary said at an event organised by ICEA.

The ECMS scheme, approved by the Cabinet on May 1, 2025, with a fiscal outlay of Rs 22,919 crore, has received 249 applications.

UNO Minda Limited was one of the successful applicants. Its Director and CEO, Vivek Jindal, talking to ANI, said, "UNO Minda today achieved the ECMS approval for camera modules and this has certainly boosted our confidence to invest more, innovate more, and build more in India." Vivek Jindal said the company will cumulatively invest Rs 260 crore over the next five years. (ANI)

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