SmartSoC and CDAC's ChipIN Team Up to Offer Free Validation and Foundry Support for India’s Semiconductor Startups

SmartSoC Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a leading semiconductor and embedded engineering services company, has announced its collaboration with the ChipIN Center at Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) to support India’s Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Programme. Through this initiative, SmartSoC will extend access to its advanced Post-Silicon Validation (PSV) services to DLI-registered startups and MSMEs on a pro-bono basis, while also offering multiple foundry options within the startup ecosystem.

This collaboration aims to address some of the most critical challenges faced by semiconductor startups in India— including access to diverse foundry services and world class backend validation and characterization infrastructure. By bridging these gaps, SmartSoC and CDAC will empower innovators to accelerate the journey from chip design to commercialization, reduce time-to-market, and strengthen their global competitiveness.

Bharath Desareddy, CEO of SmartSoC

“We are proud to be chosen as an engineering collaborator providing vital support to chip innovators in India. This is more than business—it’s our mission. We understand the tough journey from design to functional silicon. SmartSoC pledges to be the one-stop partner guiding startups through real-world complexities. Together, we will build a self-reliant India by leading the semiconductor revolution, not just participating in it.” said Bharath Desareddy, CEO of SmartSoC.

SmartSoC is one of the first Indian companies to partner with multiple foundries, aiming to provide startups with more options so they can select the best fit for their unique design needs. The Post-Silicon Validation services offered by SmartSoC allow startups to rigorously test silicon prototypes against functional, performance, and electrical benchmarks, ensuring compliance with international standards before mass production. These essential services, often unattainable for smaller players due to high costs, are being made accessible to help level the playing field, boost startup credibility, and support their journey to success.

This initiative complements SmartSoC’s ongoing contributions to the DLI Scheme, where the company serves as an engineering collaborator providing end-to-end post-silicon validation, SoC design and verification, physical design, embedded software development, and product engineering support. SmartSoC is actively contributing to advancing India's semiconductor research and development landscape and enabling faster commercialization of indigenous technologies.

“We are proud to partner with SmartSoC Solutions to provide Post-Silicon Validation services and multiple foundry options to startups under the DLI Scheme. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to empowering Indian startups and MSMEs with world-class semiconductor design infrastructure, accelerating innovation, and strengthening India’s self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem,” said Shri. E Magesh, Director General, CDAC, India.

“Providing multiple foundry options and Post-Silicon Validation through partners like SmartSoC ensures startups are able to confidently transition from design to deployable products. By offering complimentary access to expert labs, test infrastructure, and engineering services, initiatives like this reduce both cost and risk, enabling Indian startups to compete globally,” said Dr. SD Sudarsan, Executive Director, CDAC Bangalore Centre.

Aligned with the Government of India’s Semicon India vision and the larger Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) mission, this collaboration underscores the importance of industry-government partnerships in building a robust innovation ecosystem.

About SmartSoC:

SmartSoC Solutions is a global provider of semiconductor design and embedded engineering services, specializing in turnkey project execution, custom ASIC development, and foundry services. With deep domain expertise and a solutions-driven approach, SmartSoC enables clients to accelerate growth and scale efficiently. Our collaborative, end-to-end approach enables leading semiconductor and system companies to streamline development cycles and bring differentiated silicon solutions to market with precision.

About ChipIN:

ChipIN is an initiative implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) and Chip to Startup (C2S) programes of MeitY, Government of India, aimed at strengthening India’s semiconductor design ecosystem. The ChipIN Centre at CDAC Bangalore is one of the world’s largest and most advanced semiconductor design infrastructure facilities, providing state-of-the-art EDA tools, IPs, prototyping facilities, and high-performance computing (HPC) resources to Indian startups, MSMEs, and academic institutions. This initiative empowers innovators to design and develop complex semiconductor devices in a cost-effective manner. By fostering strong collaboration between industry, academia, and government, ChipIN serves as a national design infrastructure backbone, accelerating innovation, reducing design cycles, and driving indigenous semiconductor development—thereby laying the foundation for a self-reliant and globally competitive semiconductor ecosystem in India.