InCore Semiconductors: India's Thriving Hub for RISC-V Chip Design Revolution

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InCore Semiconductors: India's Thriving Hub for RISC-V Chip Design Revolution

InCore Semiconductors: India's Thriving Hub for RISC-V Chip Design Revolution

Industry News
Dec 19,23

CEO G S Madhusudan of the Chennai-based startup InCore Semiconductors envisions India as the focal point for RISC-V chip design.

InCore Semiconductors: India's Thriving Hub for RISC-V Chip Design Revolution

India is rapidly emerging as a technology powerhouse, particularly in the semiconductor industry, supported by a recent push to boost this sector. CEO G S Madhusudan of the Chennai-based startup InCore Semiconductors envisions India as the focal point for RISC-V chip design, a significant development given the growing interest from major players like Meta in moving away from x86 architecture.

Madhusudan emphasised India's substantial contribution, accounting for 30 to 40% of global chip design activities, with a notable focus on physical design. Major companies, including Google, have relocated their physical design teams to India, positioning the country as a design epicentre, especially in the RISC-V domain. In this context, Madhusudan highlighted the preference for an Indian core supplier integrated with leading design companies like TCS, HCL, and Wipro.

Established in 2018 with support from Sequoia Capital India, InCore Semiconductors originated from the Shakti Microprocessor project at IIT Madras, aiming to innovate and advance commercial processor technologies.

In a competitive landscape featuring players like SiFive, Codasip, and MIPS, InCore stands out for its high configurability. Unlike competitors offering a limited set of distinct cores, InCore provides access to core generators, enabling tailor-made and optimised cores for each client. The company's commitment extends beyond coding prowess to customer service, simplicity of integration, and a high degree of customisation.

InCore's market strategy involves leveraging its India-based operations to target local segments initially, facilitating product validation. Despite the local focus, the company has garnered interest from international aerospace and automotive industries, securing notable design wins. In partnership with collaborators, InCore aims to deliver semi-integrated products akin to Foxconn's model, appealing to Indian companies seeking high-margin opportunities.

The company addresses challenges faced by Indian service companies by advocating for a revenue model based on standardised solutions adaptable for multiple customers, moving away from linear revenue models reliant on scaling teams for additional chip designs.

InCore prioritises customer success, offering extensive support from chip design to application development, with a focus on educating customers about RISC-V technology. As a fabless company, InCore specialises in chip design while collaborating with multinational corporations for physical design, silicon validation, and volume production. The company's comprehensive solutions approach, facilitated by a carefully built ecosystem of partners, ensures efficiency from initial specifications to post-silicon production software.

Source: Digitimes