New Delhi [India], August 15 (ANI): A Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme-backed Indian semiconductor startup has achieved first-pass silicon success with 'VIHAAN', an indigenous broadband networking System-on-Chip (SoC) built using the VEGA microprocessor, marking a key step towards taking the chip into production, the Ministry of Electronics and IT said on Saturday.
Chennai-based Aheesa Digital Innovations, a fabless semiconductor startup, taped out VIHAAN on Republic Day and achieved first-pass silicon success on Independence Day this year. The chip, designed for fibre broadband applications, will now proceed towards production tape-out, targeted for 2027, the ministry said in a release.
The development comes as India's semiconductor design ecosystem expands, with the government saying companies supported under the DLI Scheme have cumulatively achieved more than 30 chip design tape-outs across various foundries and raised over USD 100 million in venture capital funding.
Aheesa had earlier this year raised about Rs 40 crore from the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation (TNIFMC) through the Tamil Nadu Emerging Sector Seed Fund (TNESSF) and other private investors. The funding is aimed at accelerating product development and supporting the company's growth in the semiconductor space, according to the ministry.
The government said semiconductor chip design is a critical value driver across the semiconductor value chain, contributing up to 50 per cent of overall value addition and accounting for around 15-35 per cent of the bill of materials cost of electronic products.
Under the DLI Scheme, Indian startups are being supported to design chips for applications ranging from satellite communications, drones and defence systems to automobiles, IoT devices, AI systems, telecom equipment and smart meters.
The ministry said chip-design tools have also been made available to 455 organisations, including 350 academic institutions and 105 startups, through government semiconductor programmes.
Under the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme, 245 chip designs have been taped out by 71 academic institutions, aimed at meeting future workforce requirements.
The ministry highlighted other recent developments under the scheme, including first-pass silicon success of a Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) motor controller by Vervesemi Microelectronics and successful testing of a 12nm Vision SoC by Netrasemi.
The government said the semiconductor initiatives are aimed at building an ecosystem covering chip design, manufacturing, advanced packaging, equipment, materials, research and development, and skilled manpower.
With Semicon 2.0, approved with an outlay of Rs 1,27,500 crore in July 2026, the government is seeking to take this effort further and build a globally competitive semiconductor ecosystem. (ANI)
DLI-backed Indian chip startup achieves first-pass silicon success with broadband chip VIHAAN: MeitY
