Nikkei: India's Chip Design Startups Hit Commercial Wall Despite 24 ISM-Funded Projects

Nikkei reports India's chip design startups are approaching commercial production but face steep fabrication costs from low volumes and supply chain bottlenecks. Bengaluru-based Fermionic Design became the first Indian firm to manufacture RF chips via a June partnership with GlobalFoundries and is shipping in medium volumes; Vervesemi raised $10M this year. Under phase one of the India Semiconductor Mission, 24 chip design projects received government funding covering half their design costs capped at Rs 15 crore, plus sales incentives of up to 6% of turnover.