India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has moved its indigenous AI inference chip into trial production, partnering with HCL Infosystems to validate its design and performance.

This marks a crucial step in India’s semiconductor journey under the ₹1.27 trillion SEMICON 2.0 mission, with commercial deployment targeted by 2029–2030.

The AI inference chip is designed to execute trained artificial intelligence models on real-world data, enabling applications across public services, domestic servers, and national IT infrastructure.

Trial production has already commenced, with HCL Infosystems selected through a government tender to oversee validation and performance testing. This collaboration ensures the chip can handle real-world workloads before wider deployment.

C-DAC, established in 1988 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has a long history of pioneering indigenous supercomputing after India was denied access to foreign technology. Its current work on silicon architecture represents one of the most significant contributions to India’s technological sovereignty.

The AI inference chip project is being funded through the National Supercomputing Mission, separate from the broader Semicon 2.0 program, which incentivises chip factories, design firms, and startups.

The government’s vision is to reduce dependence on foreign semiconductor technologies, particularly high-performance GPUs from companies such as Nvidia, which have faced export restrictions. By owning patents and intellectual property, India aims to secure its AI ecosystem against global supply chain vulnerabilities. Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has emphasised that private startups will also be encouraged to emulate C-DAC’s efforts, ensuring a diversified domestic semiconductor landscape.

The SEMICON 2.0 program, with its ₹1.27 trillion allocation, covers manufacturing, design, and research initiatives. While C-DAC’s AI chip development is funded separately, the mission provides a supportive environment for private firms to succeed. The eventual goal is to integrate the chip into domestic servers and public sector applications, powering AI-driven services across governance, healthcare, and infrastructure.

S D Sudarsan, Executive Director of C-DAC Bangalore, confirmed that work on the AI inference chip is progressing as per schedule. The chip is expected to be India’s answer to Nvidia-class processors, with trial production marking a decisive step toward commercial readiness.

The timeline set by the government anticipates a production-grade version by 2029 or 2030, aligning with India’s broader semiconductor ambitions.

This initiative reflects India’s strategic intent to build indigenous semiconductor intellectual properties, strengthen its position in the global value chain, and achieve technological independence. The partnership between C-DAC and HCL Infosystems is a critical milestone in this journey, ensuring that India’s first AI inference chip is validated to meet rigorous industry standards.

Agencies