India is taking another major step toward building its own semiconductor capabilities, with the Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) signing an agreement with Bengaluru-based BigEndian Semiconductors for ₹130 crore in financial support. The announcement was made on October 5, 2026, under the government’s Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.
The funding will support Project VeerAI, an indigenous AI Vision System-on-Chip (SoC) designed primarily for camera-based applications. The project has a total estimated cost of ₹260 crore, with the TDB support being provided through Optional Convertible Debt. Its objective is to advance the technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 to TRL 9, moving it toward commercial deployment.
Unlike a general-purpose processor, the proposed Vision SoC is being developed around the requirements of intelligent camera systems. Its initial focus includes CCTV and surveillance applications, where processing AI workloads directly on devices can enable faster decision-making while reducing dependence on cloud infrastructure.
The sovereign platform is also intended to address security, privacy and technology sovereignty, particularly for applications where sensitive visual data needs to be processed locally. Future applications could extend beyond surveillance into defence, automotive, industrial automation and medical technology.
BigEndian’s project comes as India continues to strengthen its domestic semiconductor ecosystem and reduce dependence on imported chip technologies. If VeerAI successfully reaches TRL-9, it could provide India with a locally developed AI vision platform capable of supporting critical edge-AI applications.
The project therefore represents more than a single chip initiative—it is part of India's broader push to develop homegrown AI and semiconductor technology for strategic and commercial use.
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