Mindgrove Technologies, incubated at IIT-Madras, is preparing to begin commercial production of India’s first indigenously designed Secure IoT chip, a RISC‑V based microcontroller SoC that promises to reduce device costs by nearly 30 percent compared to imported alternatives.

The company is targeting biometrics, industrial IoT, smart meters, wearables, and EV battery management systems, with early demand expected from secure biometric systems used in telecom onboarding and identity authentication.

Founded in 2021 by Shashwath T R and Sharan Srinivas J, Mindgrove has positioned its Secure IoT chip as India’s first commercial‑grade high‑performance microcontroller built on the open‑source RISC‑V architecture.

The chip has already been taped out at the 28nm node and operates at 700 MHz, offering a blend of power efficiency and robust security features. Several customers are currently testing prototype versions, and the company is confident that production‑grade shipments will be adopted swiftly across sectors requiring secure and cost‑effective solutions.

The Secure IoT chip is designed to serve millions of connected devices where low deployment costs, energy efficiency, and hardware‑level security are critical. It integrates advanced cryptographic capabilities such as AES‑256, RSA‑2048, SHA‑256, and a true random number generator, alongside physical memory protection and one‑time programmable memory.

These features make it particularly suitable for applications in biometric authentication, smart locks, access‑control systems, and industrial IoT devices, where resilience against cyber threats is paramount.

Mindgrove has entered into a two‑year commercial partnership with Pune‑based Pinetics to integrate its chips into biometric access‑control systems, smart locks, and camera applications. This collaboration bridges the gap between chip design and end‑product manufacturing in India, marking a significant step in the country’s semiconductor ecosystem.

Pinetics will design and develop modules around Mindgrove’s chips, enabling their deployment in real‑world devices and strengthening vertical integration in India’s electronics value chain.

The company’s first wave of demand is expected to come from secure biometric systems used in telecom onboarding and identity authentication infrastructure, where government standards dictate security requirements and private players procure and deploy devices.

Beyond biometrics, the chip is also positioned to support industrial IoT applications, smart meters, wearables, and EV battery management systems, reflecting its versatility across multiple domains.

Mindgrove is also working on a Vision SoC, supported under the government’s Design Linked Incentive scheme, which will target high‑performance edge and vision‑based use cases such as CCTV systems, dashcams, and smart TVs. This pipeline of products underscores the company’s ambition to build a comprehensive portfolio of indigenous semiconductor solutions for diverse applications.

The commercialisation of the Secure IoT chip represents a defining moment in India’s semiconductor journey. It reduces reliance on foreign technology, enhances supply chain resilience, and provides Indian manufacturers with a cost‑effective, secure, and locally designed alternative.

By embedding domestic chips into everyday products, Mindgrove is accelerating India’s progress towards technological self‑reliance under the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.

Agencies