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The $8.5B question: Is India’s CHIP MISSION working? | Insider takes from Mindgrove Technologies CEO

India’s semiconductor revolution is underway, and startups like Mindgrove Technologies are at the heart of it. In this episode of The Best Place to Build, we sit down with Shashwath T R, the CEO & co-founder of Mindgrove Technologies, building high-performance microchips and microprocessors out of the IIT Madras Research Park, to decode how India is accelerating its journey toward a world-class semiconductor ecosystem. From VLSI design and transistor-level innovation to Assembly and Packaging, OAT (Outsource Assembly and Testing), and policy incentives such as the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI), this conversation breaks down the real challenges and massive opportunities for the Indian semiconductor industry. We explore how data is the new oil, why the world is hungry for faster and more energy-efficient microchips, and how AI (Artificial Intelligence) is reshaping chip design and digital transformation. Shashwath also goes behind the scenes on oscilloscopes, debugging silicon, the art of transistor-level problem-solving, and what it truly takes to build a semiconductor start-up in India. Whether you're an electronics engineer, a student, a founder, or someone curious about the Indian Semiconductor Mission, this episode is your front-row seat to the future! What You’ll Learn * How semiconductors power everything from AI to smartphones * Inside the journey of Mindgrove Technologies and building India’s own microprocessor * Why transistor-level design expertise is a superpower in today’s electronics industry * The role of IIT Madras Research Park in India’s deep-tech ecosystem * How DLI, PLI, and India’s semiconductor policies are shaping the ecosystem * Real-world challenges in VLSI, silicon debugging, oscilloscopes, and high-performance chip design * Why now is the best time for entrepreneurship in electronics and semiconductors ------ Chapterisation: 00:45 Welcome to the Best Place to Build podcast 01:23 Introducing Shashwath, CEO of Mindgrove Technologies 02:00 What’s the big deal with semiconductors in India? 05:34 What’s a high-performing microprocessor in the age of AI? 14:27 What are the near-future milestones & government schemes within the semiconductor industry in India? 20:00 How do you convince investors to invest in your semiconductor venture? 24:45 What’s the microchip innovation involved with building CCTVs & biometrics? 26:48 What does an electronics engineer actually do? 37:30 How has AI affected Shashwath’s role? 40:50 What are the skills required to enter the semiconductor industry? 50:00 Shashwath’s personal story/journey in the semiconductor industry 59:30 Can you start up as a non-IITian? 01:03:00 Closing thoughts & reflections ------ Subscribe, and click on the bell icon to never miss an update from the Best Place to Build Podcast! ------ Keywords discussed: Semiconductors, Mindgrove Technologies, Electronics Engineer, IIT Madras Research Park, Semiconductor Startup, Data is the New Oil, Artificial Intelligence, AI, Microprocessor, Microchip, Digital Transformation, High Performance, Design Linked Incentive (DLI), Production Linked Incentive (PLI), OAT, Outsource Assembly and Testing, Assembly and Packaging, VLSI, Very-Large-Scale Integration, Oscilloscopes, Transistor, Electronics Industry India, Entrepreneurship, Indian Semiconductor Industry, Indian Semiconductor Mission, Transistors

Unknown HosthostShashwath T Rguest
Nov 20, 20251h 7mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Inside India’s chip push: Mindgrove’s strategy, products, and realities today

  1. Semiconductors are gaining mass attention in India because they underpin modern digital life and AI, and because government focus and media tailwinds have made the sector feel like it is finally “clicking.”
  2. Mindgrove’s first product, Secure IoT, is a high-performance, security-focused microcontroller built around IIT Madras’s Shakti core and aimed at real-world “middle” markets like biometrics and secure connected devices.
  3. The company claims it is moving from prototype to mass production now, with expectations to reach broader availability through electronics distributors (e.g., Digi-Key/Mouser equivalents) in early 2026.
  4. The discussion argues that “middle” chips are not solved problems: shifting requirements (edge intelligence, faster UX, stronger security, better processes like 28nm) create recurring innovation opportunities.
  5. India’s ecosystem progress is framed as early but real—especially in OSAT/assembly and testing—with DLI/PLI schemes, new facilities, and a growing startup funding signal, while chip development remains slow-cycle and failure-prone compared to software.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Semiconductors are the “refinery” behind data and AI.

The episode frames chips as the physical layer that makes AI and digital services possible; as devices become “smart” (cars, locks, sensors), demand rises for embedded compute, connectivity, and security.

Mindgrove is betting on the “middle” of the market, not bleeding-edge GPUs.

Shashwath argues low-end chips struggle on margins/scale while cutting-edge pits you against entrenched giants; the middle offers high-volume needs with room for differentiation in speed, integration, and security.

Security is becoming a baseline feature for embedded devices, not an add-on.

Secure IoT targets connected environments where encryption/signing must be fast and reliable; hardware-baked crypto is positioned as essential for biometrics, payments/PoS, and internet-connected control systems.

Edge intelligence (especially for CCTV) is a key next wave.

Rather than streaming terabytes to central servers and relying on human monitoring, the roadmap points to on-camera processing that transmits only alerts—reducing bandwidth, latency, and security exposure.

India’s near-term manufacturing momentum is strongest in packaging/assembly (OSAT).

The conversation highlights assembly/testing as the “easiest” manufacturing step to bring up first and calls current announcements and facilities a meaningful start to commercial semiconductor manufacturing locally.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

“We make electrons dance, and when the electrons dance, they do useful work.”

— Shashwath T R

“If data is the new oil, semiconductors is the oil refinery which gets the data out.”

— Shashwath T R

“AI doesn’t work without semiconductors.”

— Shashwath T R

“Right now, Secure IoT is more powerful than every computer that I have used in my first twenty years of life.”

— Shashwath T R

“You have to wait for, like, three months… and then you hope, you pray… and then it doesn’t boot. Terror.”

— Shashwath T R

Why semiconductors matter now (AI, digitization, security)Secure IoT microcontroller and Shakti/RISC-V rootsPerformance vs clock speed (MHz/GHz as proxy)Hardware-backed security (crypto in silicon)India’s semiconductor schemes: DLI, PLIOSAT/packaging ramp in India (Micron, Tata, CG Power, Kaynes)Edge intelligence use cases: CCTV, biometrics, secure IoT

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