Sensesemi Technologies has raised ₹25 crore in a seed funding round to accelerate the development of its edge AI chip architecture for industrial IoT, automotive platforms, and medical devices.
The Bengaluru-based fabless semiconductor startup focuses on enabling real-time, on-device intelligence in environments where low power consumption and fast response times are critical. Approved under India’s Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, the company is working to reduce reliance on cloud-based processing by bringing AI directly onto devices.
The funding round was led by Piper Serica, with participation from LetsVenture Angel Fund, Sun Icon Ventures, MyAsiaVC, Whitepine Investments, REAN Foundation, Jain Oncor, and a group of angel investors including Niraj Shah and Deepak Khanna.
Building Ultra-Efficient Edge AI Chips Through Analog-Digital Integration
Sensesemi plans to use the seed capital to advance its first system-on-chip designs and move steadily toward commercial deployments over the next few years. The investment will also support product engineering, chip tape-outs, team expansion, and strategic partnerships with device manufacturers.
Founder and chief executive officer Vijay Muktamath said the company’s technical direction is shaped by his background in analog and RF chip design. Referring to his experience working on a retinal implant project in Australia, he noted that many implantable and sensor-driven systems are fundamentally analog in nature.
The startup’s approach focuses on vertically integrating analog and digital functions onto a single chip. According to Muktamath, this design philosophy helps reduce system complexity while significantly improving power efficiency. He added that customers are also increasingly looking for secure and reliable access to semiconductor supply chains.
Alongside its digital architecture, Sensesemi is developing an analog AI inference processor tailored for battery-operated and implantable devices. Co-founder and head of engineering Namit Varma said analog-domain AI inferencing enables substantial gains in energy efficiency, making it suitable for use cases such as medical implants and industrial sensors.
Muktamath acknowledged that access to capital remains a key challenge for semiconductor startups in India, particularly those focused on hardware development. He said the funding landscape has improved compared to a decade ago, with government-backed initiatives like the DLI scheme helping create a more supportive environment.
Commenting on the investment, Piper Serica founder and fund manager Abhay Agarwal said India’s semiconductor market could cross $100 billion by 2030. He added that startups with strong chip design capabilities are well positioned to create long-term value as demand for advanced, energy-efficient silicon continues to grow.
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