Karnataka marked a significant acceleration in its push for inclusive and distributed tech growth at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025, announcing six new letters of intent along with a series of skilling-focused partnerships. IT Minister Priyank M Kharge noted that these initiatives align with the state’s broader plan to strengthen innovation clusters and expand the Local Economy Accelerator Programme. He emphasised that the programme’s scale-up is intended to “decentralise opportunities and strengthen the innovation network,” signalling a shift toward empowering emerging tech corridors beyond Bengaluru.
The announcements included a diverse set of new investments aimed at boosting the state’s industrial and deep-tech landscape. Among them are a drone testing facility in Chintamani from the Drone Federation of India, a multi-layer PCB manufacturing unit by Global HDI in Tumakuru, and new electronics production lines from Elleve Solutions Private Limited. In addition, TSUYO Manufacturing is setting up an EV powertrain facility in Dharwad, MiniMines Cleantech Solutions is establishing a critical mineral refining operation, and Eyestem Research is advancing work in vision restoration technologies. Kharge also shared that the expansion of LEAP will begin with Elevate Next and Elevate Beyond Bengaluru in early 2026, which will “offer grants of up to one crore to startups across the state,” positioning local founders for greater access to funding and support.
Complementing these investments is a strong emphasis on skilling India’s next wave of tech talent. Marvell Semiconductor, in collaboration with the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India, will train 90 women in VLSI design and embedded systems—an important step toward increasing gender diversity in semiconductor engineering. Meanwhile, the newly launched Nipuna Karnataka initiative aims to train 4,000 young people in high-demand fields such as AI, cybersecurity and data science. These skilling pipelines are meant to support Karnataka’s rapidly expanding tech ecosystem, especially as Bengaluru is now recognised as the world’s fifth-largest AI hub.
With innovation hotspots emerging in Mysuru, Mangaluru and Hubballi-Dharwad, the state is laying the groundwork for a wider, more inclusive technology economy—one that distributes opportunities, builds regional capability and strengthens Karnataka’s leadership in future-ready industries.
