Kerala-based semiconductor startup Netrasemi has secured ₹107 crore in Series A funding, with participation from Zoho Corporation and Unicorn India Ventures. The investment will be channeled into accelerating R&D, scaling manufacturing capacity, and boosting marketing efforts to strengthen both domestic and international market presence. A key focus will be bringing four system-on-chip (SoC) variants—equipped with advanced AI and video analytics—into production, addressing compute demands of OEMs across surveillance, robotics, and smart infrastructure sectors.
The company, founded in 2020 by Jyothis Indirabhai, Sreejith Varma, and Deepa Geetha, is developing energy-efficient, domain-specific SoCs optimized for real-time AI workloads at the edge. These chips support on-device intelligence, eliminating the need to transmit data to the cloud—powered by Netrasemi’s proprietary neural processing unit (NPU) and in-house silicon IP portfolio.
Netrasemi has already completed the development of two Edge-AI chips, both currently in the tapeout phase for fabrication at TSMC’s 12nm node. Over the past year, the company initiated work on a specialized AI chip for the Indian CCTV market, signed MoUs with global partners for product evaluations, and received platform development interest from various OEMs.
“Supporting the growth of a strong deep-tech ecosystem in India is a key focus for Zoho, and our investment in Netrasemi reflects that ongoing effort. Developing advanced technological capabilities and expertise within the country can drive long-term progress in critical sectors, ultimately contributing to economic resilience and self-reliance,” said Shailesh Davey, Co-founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation.
He added, “Our interests with Netrasemi also align on the R&D front, especially in areas such as robotics, AI and edge processing. Through this investment, we are supporting the development of indigenous IP and innovation, paving the way for globally competitive products to be built in India.”
Zoho recently opened an R&D center in Kottarakara, Kerala, and will collaborate with Netrasemi on projects at this new campus. The initiative is part of Zoho’s broader goal of fostering rural technology talent and innovation.
Anil Joshi, Managing Partner at Unicorn India Ventures, emphasized the global relevance of the company’s innovations: “The global edge AI market is evolving at a rapid rate with profound transformations and driving demand for specialized energy efficient semiconductor solutions capable of running AI workloads in real time. We believe Netrasemi has opened up new markets and will be leading the next wave of innovation in the semiconductor industry.”
Netrasemi also announced plans to double its engineering team from 83 to 166 professionals, with hiring focused on chip design and development. The expanded team will support new use cases across smart cities, retail, robotics, and connected home environments. The startup also intends to step up customer engagement and co-innovation initiatives with partners.
“In the new age of AI-based automation and next-generation smart devices, domain-specific optimization is no longer a nice-to-have feature—it’s a necessity,” said Jyothis Indirabhai, Co-founder & CEO of Netrasemi. “Netrasemi’s efficient Domain Specific Architecture (DSA) and optimal intellectual property silicon cores enable both performance and energy efficiency needed for real-time on-device, on-premise computing at the edge. Our chips are designed based on various end-customer application requirements and are both power-efficient and cost-effective.”
Looking ahead, the startup aims to complete full-mask production of three SoC product families within the next 12–18 months and begin R&D on next-gen high-performance SoCs targeting edge-server and smart NVR computing needs.
