How Mindgrove's Secure IoT chip could reshape India's tech

The Quiet Breakthrough You Won’t See on the News

Look, India isn’t just importing chips—it’s designing them. Mindgrove Technologies in Chennai is leading a quiet revolution that could change how the devices you trust actually work. From a bold 2021 idea to commercial‑grade SoCs for IoT, this isn’t sci‑fi. It’s a plan built on open sources, patient funding, and a willingness to take big bets.

Mindgrove began with a sharp brainstorm: build hardware here, own the IP, and move beyond merely designing for global brands. The team leaned on IIT Madras’s Shakti Processor Project and kicked off with a modest grant of ₹39-lakh. They’ve kept the work “fabless”—they design the chips and then hand the manufacturing to foundries like TSMC. The first focus? Microcontrollers and microprocessors that run everything from smart locks to washing machines and biometric readers.

The Fabless Leap: How Mindgrove Is Redefining Indian Chips

A landmark milestone arrived with the Secure IoT chip, India’s first commercial‑grade, high‑performance microcontroller SoC taped out at 28 nanometers. It includes built‑in encryption accelerators to protect sensitive data in devices like Aadhaar authentication systems. Tape‑outs are notoriously expensive—often well over a million dollars per design—so this is a serious industrial bet as much as a technical one.

Mindgrove has raised about $8 million to date, attracting investors like Rocketship.vc and Speciale Invest. The company is now developing its second chip, the Vision SoC, for CCTV cameras and dashcams, backed by a government push in the form of a ₹15 crore DLI scheme. Their bigger aim? To shift India from solely designing for others to owning the IP and the complete solution stack.

The ambition isn’t just about one chip. It’s about building a pipeline where Indian teams design, validate, and own the blueprints for devices that touch every home and business. They’re using the RISC‑V open‑source architecture, an alternative to ARM, to keep costs and dependencies in check while leaning into a globally collaborative ethos.

The Bigger Bet: Sovereignty, Jobs, and Your Daily Devices

Mindgrove’s path isn’t just about tech. It’s about national strategy. India’s push to own more of its digital infrastructure—especially in IoT and security—could cut the country’s exposure to supply shocks and geopolitical frictions. If a homegrown Secure IoT line proves scalable, the impact isn’t only about a few gadgets. It underpins how everyday devices—from locks to smart meters—are secured, sourced, and serviced within India.

Experts note the broader context: India’s move toward digital sovereignty will require a mix of public funding, private risk‑taking, and structured support for local ecosystems. The payoff isn’t just faster borderless innovation; it’s a more resilient supply chain, more Indian jobs, and a future where your gadgets are powered by Indian engineers, on Indian soil, with Indian IP.

If Mindgrove keeps this pace, your next smart device could be running on homegrown silicon rather than a foreign design. It’s not just about chips; it’s a declaration: India can own the silicon that runs its future.