Best Place To BuildProf. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras |"No substitute for hard work to become a great engineer"|Ep.23
Unknown Host and Veezhinathan Kamakoti on iIT Madras Director on engineering rigor, Shakti chips, startups.
In this episode of Best Place To Build, featuring Veezhinathan Kamakoti and Unknown Host, Prof. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras |"No substitute for hard work to become a great engineer"|Ep.23 explores iIT Madras Director on engineering rigor, Shakti chips, startups Prof. Kamakoti frames great engineering as the outcome of rigorous conceptual thinking and sustained hard work, not merely exam ranks or early pay packages.
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
IIT Madras Director on engineering rigor, Shakti chips, startups
- Prof. Kamakoti frames great engineering as the outcome of rigorous conceptual thinking and sustained hard work, not merely exam ranks or early pay packages.
- He explains the RISE Lab’s long-term systems vision and how the Shakti indigenous RISC-V microprocessor program catalyzed a full-stack semiconductor startup ecosystem spanning core design, SoCs, verification, physical design, and hardware security.
- He outlines IIT Madras’ CS curriculum as three pillars—Theory, Systems, and Applications—emphasizing “NAND-to-Tetris”-style stack-building that makes students understand computing end-to-end.
- He argues JEE Advanced is difficult because it tests higher-order concept application across topics within the +2 syllabus, while cautioning that rank is not destiny and there is “no bad course” when aligned with student interest.
- As director, he credits IIT Madras’ sustained performance to cohesion, alignment with national priorities, execution against a faculty-owned strategic plan, and targeted improvements for global rankings (especially sustainability, research networks, and citations).
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasHard work and conceptual rigor are the real differentiators of great engineers.
Kamakoti emphasizes that IIT-level outcomes come from training students to apply concepts (often across multiple topics) and endure demanding practice over four years; there is “no substitute” for that effort.
Building an indigenous chip is not a single-project achievement—it requires an ecosystem.
Shakti’s impact is presented as full-stack: core IP, SoC integration, verification, physical design/PCB, and security, with different startups specializing in each layer so real products can be built end-to-end in-country.
A strong CS program should teach the entire computing stack, not just ‘coding’.
The curriculum described pushes students from logic gates to architecture, compilers, OS, and applications, so graduates understand how software maps to hardware and systems behavior rather than only writing high-level code.
Specialization works best after foundations are common and deep.
All students take core systems and theory courses early; only after 5th–6th semester do they choose deeper tracks (theory/systems/apps), which reduces premature narrowing and improves long-term fit.
AI education must be cross-disciplinary and infrastructure-backed to be credible.
He argues AI now belongs to every domain (bio, finance, management, humanities), so the AI/Data Analytics program is designed to bridge disciplines—while requiring significant investment in compute, storage, and accelerators.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesThere’s no substitute for the hard work that you need to put… to become a great engineer.
— Prof. V. Kamakoti
If you come with an idea, we will give you the way to make it a unicorn—provided you work hard.
— Prof. V. Kamakoti
We have this entire innovation and entrepreneurship stack.
— Prof. V. Kamakoti
There is no bad course.
— Prof. V. Kamakoti
That forty-five marks of QS is out of syllabus for me.
— Prof. V. Kamakoti
QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS EPISODE
5 questionsIn the Shakti ecosystem, what are the biggest remaining bottlenecks for India: EDA tools, fabrication access, packaging, or volume customers—and which ones can IITM realistically influence?
Prof. Kamakoti frames great engineering as the outcome of rigorous conceptual thinking and sustained hard work, not merely exam ranks or early pay packages.
How do E-class, C-class, and I-class Shakti processors map to real product categories today (e.g., remotes, automotive, servers), and what benchmarks or deployments validate each class?
He explains the RISE Lab’s long-term systems vision and how the Shakti indigenous RISC-V microprocessor program catalyzed a full-stack semiconductor startup ecosystem spanning core design, SoCs, verification, physical design, and hardware security.
What specific course projects or lab components in IITM’s ‘NAND-to-Tetris’ style foundation most strongly predict success in systems/semiconductor roles later?
He outlines IIT Madras’ CS curriculum as three pillars—Theory, Systems, and Applications—emphasizing “NAND-to-Tetris”-style stack-building that makes students understand computing end-to-end.
You described InCore as the ‘Arm of Shakti’ and Mindgrove as the SoC builder—what IP licensing or business models will make these companies globally competitive?
He argues JEE Advanced is difficult because it tests higher-order concept application across topics within the +2 syllabus, while cautioning that rank is not destiny and there is “no bad course” when aligned with student interest.
IITM crossed ‘patent-a-day’: how do you decide which patents should be defended internationally versus filed domestically, and how is licensing revenue shared with inventors?
As director, he credits IIT Madras’ sustained performance to cohesion, alignment with national priorities, execution against a faculty-owned strategic plan, and targeted improvements for global rankings (especially sustainability, research networks, and citations).
Chapter Breakdown
Meeting IIT Madras Director Prof. Kamakoti at the Sudan Chunker Innovation Hub
The host sets up the conversation at IIT Madras’ innovation hub and frames the episode around three lenses: Prof. Kamakoti as teacher/researcher, as former JEE leadership, and as institute director. The context of IITM’s long NIRF #1 streak and its builder/startup culture is introduced.
Teaching philosophy, early-morning classes, and what he teaches at IITM
Prof. Kamakoti describes his teaching focus (computer architecture/VLSI) and shares an unconventional experiment: early-morning “Suprabatham slot” classes. He emphasizes disciplined effort and sustained teaching as a core part of academic life.
Why RISE Lab was created: reconfigurable, intelligent, autonomous systems
He explains how RISE (Reconfigurable Intelligent Systems Engineering) formed in the mid-2000s with a vision that future systems must be autonomous, reconfigurable, and intelligent. Early alumni and government funding helped the lab scale toward major deliverables.
The Shakti microprocessor: India’s indigenous RISC-V chip family
The conversation deep-dives into Shakti as a flagship RISE deliverable and its significance for India’s strategic capability in processors. Prof. Kamakoti highlights that embedded/low-end controllers dominate volume and explains Shakti’s processor classes for different market segments.
From research to a full semiconductor startup value chain around Shakti
He maps the ecosystem needed to turn a processor into a usable product—core design, SoC integration, verification, physical design, PCB/system integration, and security. Several startups are positioned as covering different links of this chain, demonstrating a lab-to-industry pipeline.
India Semiconductor Mission: leveraging India’s design talent into national capability
Prof. Kamakoti connects IITM’s work to broader national goals: India already has strong human capital in chip design across multinationals, and now needs to translate that into domestic product ecosystems. He underscores the role of training pipelines and strong VLSI education in select institutions.
How IITM structures Computer Science: clear pathways and rigorous foundations
He outlines IITM’s deliberate CS curriculum design to create strong career paths and deep competence. The department emphasizes both elite theoretical CS culture and strong systems education, while still supporting application-oriented tracks.
NAND-to-Tetris style systems education: building the full stack end-to-end
A detailed walkthrough of IITM’s systems pedagogy shows how students progress from logic gates to microarchitecture simulation, assembly, virtual machines, and compiler construction. The approach aims to make students understand the entire computing stack, not just high-level coding.
B.Tech in AI & Data Analytics: cross-disciplinary AI as a new engineering language
He explains why AI can’t be treated as only computer science—each domain uses different data, goals, and models. The program is designed to produce engineers who can operate across disciplines, supported by significant compute/storage investment and external backing.
Medical Sciences & Technology at IITM: building indigenous medical tech capability
Prof. Kamakoti describes IITM’s investment in medical sciences and the BS program in Medical Sciences & Engineering (via IISER Aptitude Test). He lays out a four-layer ‘medical stack’—from anatomy to modeling, devices/pharmacology, and clinical trials—arguing India must reduce import dependence in medical devices.
IITM’s innovation-to-unicorn pipeline: CFI, NIRMAN, incubators, and GDC
Sitting inside the innovation hub, he describes IITM’s integrated entrepreneurship stack that supports students from idea to startup scale. The ‘builder’ ethos is reinforced with examples like Raftaar/Ather and emphasis on deep-tech, not superficial consumer plays.
Patents → startups: turning IP into national advantage
He frames patents as a foundational lever for technology leadership, citing IITM’s “patent a day” pace and the transformation of the IP cell. The goal is not filing alone, but converting IP into startups and standard-essential positions that create strategic royalties and leverage.
Career pathways beyond placements: jobs, startups, higher studies, exams, and breaks
Prof. Kamakoti explains IITM’s shift from a ‘placement cell’ mindset to a ‘career pathway center’ that acknowledges diverse outcomes. He shares survey-based insights that a shrinking minority prioritizes jobs alone, while entrepreneurship, higher studies, civil services, and exploration are growing preferences.
JEE Advanced: why it’s hard, what it actually tests, and why rank isn’t destiny
As former JEE chair/counselor, he argues JEE Advanced filters for readiness for IIT’s rigorous, cross-concept engineering education—not rote recall. He also highlights rank volatility due to bell-curve compression and stresses that there is ‘no bad course’; interest should drive choices, not perceived safety.
Advice to parents and students: reduce stress, protect health, and keep learning/teaching
He urges parents to talk directly with their children about interests instead of outsourcing decisions to social pressure. He also critiques unhealthy exam-prep lifestyles (lack of sunlight/vitamin D) and reiterates that success has multiple paths—JEE is not the only determinant.
Why IIT Madras stays #1 and how rankings/perception work (NIRF, QS, sustainability)
Switching to the director’s lens, he attributes IITM’s sustained performance to alignment with national priorities, institutional cohesion, and a faculty-owned strategic plan. On QS and global rankings, he highlights learnings from sustainability metrics, research infrastructure upgrades, and the outsized role of perception.
Siddhir Bhavati Karmaja: IITM’s motto as a lifelong obligation to learn and teach
Prof. Kamakoti closes with the philosophical anchor of IITM’s emblem, connecting success to ‘karma’ defined as learning and teaching. He extends this to faculty recruitment principles: deep mastery plus student-first commitment as the basis for institutional excellence.
EVERY SPOKEN WORD
Install uListen for AI-powered chat & search across the full episode — Get Full Transcript
Get more out of YouTube videos.
High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.
Add to Chrome