India Tech Report

Tag: technology

  • Deep tech wrap on Friday: Green hydrogen solutions rise in India, aerospace startup Raphe scores $100 million, and more

    Deep tech wrap on Friday: Green hydrogen solutions rise in India, aerospace startup Raphe scores $100 million, and more

    Daily brief on deep tech and climate tech news from India and around the world

    Illustrative image. India needs high-altitude drones to support its troops across the Himalayas, or for rescue operations and several other civilian applications as well.

    JuliaHub unveils Dyad to accelerate hardware development with AI-powered modeling

    JuliaHub has launched Dyad, a new system that integrates Scientific Machine Learning, Generative AI, and traditional physics modeling to revolutionize hardware system design, according to a post from the eponymous company. Dyad offers both textual and graphical interfaces, agentic AI workflows, and seamless simulation tools, supporting the entire product lifecycle for industries like aerospace and energy.

    Under a source-available license, Dyad aims to bring modern software agility and collaboration to engineering, making advanced modeling accessible, safe, and efficient for critical applications.

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    APac ex-Japan IoT spending to reach $355 billion by 2029, driven by manufacturing and smart technologies

    Internet of Things (IoT) spending in the Asia Pacific region (ex-Japan) will grow from $241 billion in 2025 to $355 billion by 2029, with a 12.6 percent CAGR, technology market researcher IDC said in a recent post.

    Manufacturing, government, retail, and utilities will drive over half of 2025’s spending, while healthcare and transportation will see the fastest growth. Hardware, especially sensors and modules, will dominate spending, with China, India, and Indonesia leading growth. Key trends include smart factories, supply chain resilience, and real-time analytics adoption.

    John Cockerill Hydrogen raises €116 million to boost global green hydrogen expansion

    John Cockerill Hydrogen has secured a €116 million capital increase to advance its strategic development and international growth, the hydrogen electrolyser and industrial equipment maker said in a press release.

    Supported by Belgian investors SFPIM and Wallonie Entreprendre, and new partner Fluxys, the funding strengthens the company’s Belgian roots and global reach.

    The capital will support large-scale electrolyser production in Europe and India, including India’s largest green ammonia project. The group’s Indian unit is listed in Mumbai.

    This investment advances John Cockerill’s leadership in pressurized alkaline electrolyser technology, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable, cost-effective green hydrogen solutions worldwide, according to the press release.

    Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Ohmium partner to pilot green hydrogen microgrids for India’s clean energy future

    Meanwhile, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Ohmium International have signed an MoU to co-develop green hydrogen-based microgrid solutions in India. The collaboration combines Toyota’s fuel cell expertise with Ohmium’s modular PEM electrolyzer technology to design scalable, efficient, and cost-effective hydrogen power systems for diverse applications, including data centers and remote areas.

    The partnership aims to prototype and test integrated electrolyzer-fuel cell microgrids, supporting India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission and advancing the country’s carbon neutrality and energy independence goals.

    Cummins India launches Battery Energy Storage Systems to accelerate clean energy transition

    Cummins India Limited has launched its Battery Energy Storage Systems, expanding its sustainable solutions portfolio to support India’s clean energy goals, the industrial company said in a press release.

    The modular, scalable units — available in 10ft and 20ft containers with capacities from 200kWh to 2MWh — use advanced lithium ferrophosphate batteries and integrated liquid cooling for safety and long life, according to the release.

    Designed for industries such as manufacturing, data centers, and mining, these systems enable seamless integration of renewables, grid stability, and optimized energy costs, the company said.

    Ericsson expands Bengaluru R&D to boost 5G chip design and India’s semiconductor ecosystem

    Ericsson is expanding its Bengaluru R&D operations with a dedicated Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) development unit, adding over 150 engineering roles. This move strengthens Ericsson’s global semiconductor design capabilities and supports India’s growing tech ecosystem.

    The new unit will focus on developing custom Ericsson Silicon System on a Chip (SoC) solutions, essential for high-performance, energy-efficient 5G network equipment. The expansion aligns with Ericsson’s $5 billion annual R&D investment and India’s ambitions to become a semiconductor innovation hub.

    Antler Bio raises $4.3 million to expand gene expression tech for smarter, more resilient dairy farming

    Antler Bio has secured $4.3 million in funding, led by The First Thirty Ventures, to scale its EpiHerd gene expression platform across Europe, Tech Funding News reports. EpiHerd analyzes how cows’ genes respond to environmental and nutritional stressors, delivering data-driven insights that boost milk yields, quality, and herd health. Already used on over 100 farms, the system has achieved up to 22 percent higher milk yields and a 7:1 ROI. The funding will accelerate expansion and further technology development.

    Raphe mPhibr raises $100M to scale indigenous drone manufacturing and global defense ambitions

    Raphe mPhibr has secured $100 million in Series B funding led by General Catalyst, marking the largest private capital raise by an Indian aerospace manufacturer, according to a press release by the Noida based startup.

    Founded in 2016, Raphe designs and manufactures end-to-end unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including drone swarms and high-altitude UAVs, entirely in India.

    Serving more than 10 government agencies, the company has achieved 4x revenue growth for four years, remains profitable, and plans to expand globally, emphasizing sovereign technology and local manufacturing.

    In Conversation

    In-depth conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, and other stakeholders building India’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystems.

    Insight

    Takeaways from conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, and other stakeholders building India’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystems.

  • Autonomous mobile robots: Five takeaways from a conversation with Saurabh Chandra at Ati Motors

    Autonomous mobile robots: Five takeaways from a conversation with Saurabh Chandra at Ati Motors

    In this episode, Saurabh Chandra, co-founder and CEO of Ati Motors in Bengaluru, talks about how autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are set to completely change factories, warehouses and an increasing number of other environments.

    Backed by investors including MFV Partners, Exfinity Ventures, NGP Capital and Blume Ventures, Ati is shipping its AMRs to some of the biggest manufacturing names in India, Southeast Asia and the US.

    Chandra talks about Ati’s own family of robots, named Sherpa, some early engineering decisions that have stood the company in good stead, and how Ati can go from shipping hundreds of robots to thousands, and more. We also briefly touched upon lessons from building a deep tech robotics company out of India.

    Here are my five top takeaways from the conversation.

    Early engineering decision to avoid teleoperation from the start 

    Ati Motors made a deliberate early engineering choice to design its robots for full autonomy without any dependency on a teleoperator — a person remotely controlling or assisting the robot during exceptions or tough situations. While it was initially tempting to include teleoperation as a safety net for handling edge cases, the engineering team argued that this would become a crutch, making it harder to ever achieve true, robust autonomy.

    This decision led to a longer initial development phase, as the team had to ensure the robots could handle all real-world scenarios independently. However, this approach ultimately paid off by forcing the team to build a more reliable and resilient system, setting Ati Motors apart.

    “Don’t take even a screw for granted. This is really one of the places where for want of a nail, the kingdom can be lost.”

    Saurabh Chandra, Co-Fouder and CEO, Ati Motors

    Ati’s full-stack approach: comprehensive in-house development and integration

    Ati’s full-stack approach means the company develops every critical aspect of its AMRs in-house — from navigation and localization algorithms to vehicle design, perception modules, and fleet management software, although some individual specialized components such as sensors aren’t made in India and have to be imported.

    By owning the tech stack, Ati ensures its robots are purpose-built for challenging factory conditions, can be quickly adapted to new customer needs, and deliver robust, reliable performance with little dependence on external infrastructure or third-party systems.

    Lessons from building Ati out of Bengaluru and India

    A key lesson from building Ati Motors out of Bangalore and India is the tremendous advantage of tapping the city’s multidisciplinary talent pool and its robust, under-appreciated manufacturing ecosystem – well before the city came to be known for its IT services prowess.

    Chandra highlights that Bengaluru offers access to both technical expertise and a strong base of manufacturing customers, enabling rapid product iteration and real-world feedback that even locations like California cannot match.

    The rich local supply chains from India’s electric vehicle (EV) industry provide unique cost and innovation benefits, as Ati can co-develop and customize key components with local partners — an advantage rare outside of a few global markets.

    Top priority: scale from shipping hundreds of robots to thousands

    One of Ati’s top priorities today is to scale its operations so it can meet the growing demand for its robots and move from shipping hundreds of units to thousands.

    This means accelerating deployment, expanding manufacturing capacity, and streamlining processes to handle much higher volumes efficiently. The company is also focused on improving tooling and support for its partners, enabling them to deploy and manage robots more independently, which is essential for rapid global expansion and for reaching new customers across North America, Southeast Asia, and potentially Europe and Japan.

    By prioritizing scalable operations and robust partner enablement, Ati aims to solidify its leadership in industrial automation and make its robotic solutions accessible to a far broader range of businesses worldwide.

    Chandra’s advice to aspiring deep tech entrepreneurs in India

    Aspiring deep tech entrepreneurs, especially in the hardware space in India, should be prepared for the immense complexity and challenges involved, Chandra says. For example, how does one crack the issue of quality and efficiency at the same time at low production volumes.

    He notes that hardware ventures require a wide range of expertise and that, at early stages, both founders and vendors may lack experience, making it harder to achieve desired outcomes.

    Chandra cautions against underestimating any detail — even the smallest component can be critical to success. He suggests that, while it is important to be ambitious, entrepreneurs should also recognize the value of getting specific parts right.

    “Don’t take even a screw for granted,” he says. “This is really one of the places where for want of a nail, the kingdom can be lost.”

  • Autonomous mobile robots: Saurabh Chandra at Ati Motors on the future of manufacturing

    Autonomous mobile robots: Saurabh Chandra at Ati Motors on the future of manufacturing

    My guest today is Saurabh Chandra, co-founder and CEO of Ati Motors, an autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) venture in Bengaluru. In this conversation, Saurabh talks about how the robots are coming – changing the industrial manufacturing landscape forever.

    He talks about Ati’s own family of robots, named Sherpa, some early engineering decisions that have stood the company in good stead, and how Ati can go from shipping hundreds of robots to thousands, and more. We also briefly touched upon lessons from building a deep tech robotics company out of India.

    Under Chandra’s leadership, Ati Motors has become a pioneer in developing AMRs for material movement in factories and warehouses. Unlike traditional automated guided vehicles (AGVs), Ati’s Sherpa robots are engineered to perform in the most challenging industrial environments — handling gradients, potholes, clutter, and even outdoor conditions.

    This is made possible by a full-stack, first-principles approach and the use of advanced 3D LiDAR-based navigation, which allows Sherpa robots, today best known for their tugging capabilities, to operate without any external markers, reflectors, or teleoperation. All autonomy is processed onboard, ensuring robust performance even in environments with unreliable connectivity.

    Ati’s current portfolio of AMRs include the Sherpa Tug, Sherpa Lifter, Sherpa Pallet Mover, and Sherpa Pivot. The company has some 50 customers in India, Southeast Asia and North America, Chandra says, including names such as Forvia and Hyundai.

    On building AMRs out of India, Chandra credits Bengaluru’s multidisciplinary talent pool and thriving manufacturing ecosystem as important advantages that support innovation. The day isn’t that far away when, in factories and warehouses and other such complexes, “whatever moves is going to be autonomous,” he says.

  • TI’s $60 billion US plan, L&T’s second ESG bond, Embedl’s edge-AI tech, Neoclease’s gene-editing platform, and more

    TI’s $60 billion US plan, L&T’s second ESG bond, Embedl’s edge-AI tech, Neoclease’s gene-editing platform, and more

    Daily brief on deep tech and climate tech from India and around the world.

    Texas Instruments commits $60 billion to semiconductor expansion

    The investment will build seven fabs across Texas and Utah, boosting U.S. production of 300mm chips for companies like Apple and Nvidia. Supported by $1.6B in CHIPS Act funding, the project will create 60,000 jobs and manufacture hundreds of millions of chips daily. 

    Embedl secures €5.5 million to scale its edge AI platform

    The Swedish deep tech startup, spun out from Chalmers University, raised pre-Series A funding to make edge-AI deployment accessible for developers in robotics, defense, and automotive. Their platform optimizes AI inference for local hardware, reducing cloud dependency and energy use. Chalmers Ventures led the round, bringing total funding to €12 million.

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    OrangeQS sets Dutch record with €12 million seed round

    The Delft-based quantum startup raised the largest seed investment in the Netherlands’ quantum sector to scale automated testing systems for quantum chips. Funding will accelerate the transition from lab prototypes to industrial quantum computers, leveraging deep academic expertise.

    Neoclease wins Merck’s biotech grant for its AI gene-editing tech

    The Boston startup won Merck’s 2025 North American Advance Biotech Grant for its AI-designed platform targeting Parkinson’s disease. The grant provides access to Merck’s manufacturing tech and regulatory support to scale therapies for 6,000+ genetic disorders.

    Fervo and Form Energy advance energy projects for AI

    Fervo is building the world’s largest geothermal plant in Utah to power data centers, while Form Energy raised $400 million to scale iron-air batteries. Both startups are fast-tracking deployments amid surging AI-driven energy demand, with Constellation Energy restarting nuclear plants for Microsoft.

    Typedef raises $5.5 million for AI data infrastructure

    The startup’s platform automates data pipeline management for LLM workloads, enabling faster AI deployment. Pear VC led the seed round to target the $200B AI infrastructure market, simplifying prompt experimentation and pipeline optimization for enterprises.

    L&T considers second ESG bond after strong demand for debut issue

    Indian infrastructure giant Larsen & Toubro is exploring a second round of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) bonds after its inaugural ₹500 crore ($58 million) issue sold at a premium under India’s new ESG debt framework. The three-year notes, rated AAA by Crisil, were priced at a 6.35 percent coupon—lower than comparable bonds—reflecting high demand from banks and mutual funds. SBI Mutual Fund was a key investor in the debut.

    In Conversation

    In-depth conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders and other stakeholders building India’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystems.

  • Rare-Earth free: Bhaktha Keshavachar on Chara’s strategic mission, one motor at a time

    Rare-Earth free: Bhaktha Keshavachar on Chara’s strategic mission, one motor at a time

    My guest today is Bhaktha Ram Keshavachar, founder and CEO of Chara Technologies, in Bengaluru. Chara is at the forefront of a technological shift that could reshape for the better India’s electric mobility landscape, and potentially make an impact overseas as well.

    The mission is both urgent and ambitious: to build high-performance electric motors that are free of rare earth magnets — a critical component in most electric vehicles and industrial machines today.

    Bhaktha and his fellow founders Ravi Prasad, the chief motor designer, and Mahalingam Koushik, the CTO at Chara, are engineering veterans from industry, each one bringing decades of experience to their entrepreneurial journey.

    It started in late 2019, just as the world was heading into the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic. Recognizing the strategic risks posed by global dependence on rare earth minerals — with China controlling about 90 percent of the global refining and processing — and also the environmental impact, he and his team set out to engineer an alternative.

    The result is a new generation of reluctance motors, designed and manufactured in India, that match or surpass the efficiency of traditional permanent-magnet motors, while sidestepping the environmental and geopolitical pitfalls of rare earth mining.

    L-R: Ravi Prasad, chief motor designer, Mahalingam Koushik, CTO, and Bhaktha Keshavachar, CEO at Chara Technologies are building a new generation of made-in-India reluctance motors

    In this conversation, Bhaktha shares the technical and business challenges Chara has overcome — from early R&D pivots and tackling the challenge of torque ripple in reluctance motors, to building a pilot production facility and securing industry partnerships, including a manufacturing and distribution alliance with Greaves Cotton.

    He discusses the hurdles of deep tech entrepreneurship in India, the evolving talent landscape, and Chara’s plan to take its products global.

    Whether you’re a founder, investor, engineer, or simply curious about the future of cleaner technology, this episode offers an example of how Indian deep tech innovation is rising to meet one of the challenges of our era: building a sustainable, secure, and scalable electric future — one motor at a time.

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  • Lab to deep tech startup: 5 takeaways from a conversation with Karthee Madasamy at MFV Partners

    Lab to deep tech startup: 5 takeaways from a conversation with Karthee Madasamy at MFV Partners

    Early-stage VC firms partnering universities to identify and back promising deep-tech startups is a well-established practice in the US. What lessons does that hold for India’s nascent deep tech sector? Recently, I spoke about this with Karthee Madasamy, founding managing partner at MFV Partners in the US. MFV has just established a new fund – Harper Court Ventures Fund I – dedicated to supporting pre-seed deep science startups coming out of University of Chicago.

    Here are five important takeaways from our conversation.

    1. Smart funding is crucial for early-stage deep tech startups

    Harper Court Ventures was created to fill a critical gap in the University of Chicago’s ecosystem: the need for “smart funding” at the pre-seed stage. This means providing not just capital, but also hands-on support—helping founders build teams, set milestones, and connect with syndicate partners. Such proactive involvement is especially vital for deep tech startups, where technical risk and commercialisation challenges are high.

    2. University research is a powerful driver of tech ecosystems

    The fund’s model is inspired by the historic role of US universities in powering innovation hubs like Silicon Valley. By translating academic research into startups, universities can become engines of economic growth. Harper Court Ventures aims to unlock this potential within the Chicago ecosystem, focusing on areas where the university has world-leading expertise, such as quantum engineering and health sciences.

    3. Sector focus leverages university strengths and national assets

    The fund targets four strategic sectors — quantum engineering, energy, life sciences, and data science — where the University of Chicago and its partnerships with famous labs such as Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) have unique capabilities. This focused approach enables deeper support and de-risks investments, a lesson for India to align deep tech funding with institutional and national strengths.

    4. A locally relevant partnership holds the key to success

    Harper Court Ventures is an independent fund with a formal cooperation agreement to invest exclusively in University of Chicago deep tech startups. This structure ensures a strong pipeline of investable companies and aligns the incentives of the university, the fund, and the founders. In India, Karthee sees promise in a different model. A fund that can be drawn upon by multiple top universities such as the IITs and BITS might be a better model for India, he says.

    5. India’s deep tech ecosystem is growing, but structural gaps remain

    While India is seeing more deep tech activity, including government focus and new funds, the pipeline of university spinouts and formal VC-university partnerships is still limited. Karthee notes that incentives, infrastructure, and mindset in Indian academia are improving, but a dedicated, large-scale approach — possibly spanning multiple top institutes — is needed for this sector to really flourish in India.