Semiconductor startup Netrasemi secures Rs 10 Crore for AI SoC development

Semiconductor startup Netrasemi successfully secured Rs 10 crore in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Unicorn India Ventures. The company aims to utilize the funds for the fabrication of its cutting-edge machine learning (ML) system-on-chip (SoC) designs, namely Netra A2000 and Netra R1000, as it advances its focus on enabling Edge AI for Internet of Things (IoT) products.

Netrasemi specializes in developing AI/ML-capable SoCs that cater to modern computing needs for smart IoT products. The company’s chips are designed to perform advanced AI-based analytics on devices themselves, reducing reliance on cloud servers, thereby making devices smarter, faster, and more cost-effective.

With a team of 61 professionals, Netrasemi has developed a family of SoCs capable of addressing over 100 AI/ML use cases. The company targets industries including medical devices, telecom, and industrial automation, receiving significant interest from global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) over the past year.

Netrasemi has reported profits of approximately $0.75 million from chip design and porting services provided to strategic partners. The company forecasts a 150% revenue increase in FY25, bolstered by intellectual property (IP) licensing, and anticipates exponential growth starting FY27 with the volume production of its chips.

The startup has garnered support from Indian government initiatives like MeitY’s DLI and C2S programs and international accelerators such as Taiwan’s TTA. Anil Joshi, Managing Partner at Unicorn India Ventures, expressed confidence in Netrasemi's growth trajectory, stating, “Edge AI is a transformative technology, and Netrasemi is well-positioned to capitalize on this opportunity. Their innovative SoCs for edge devices mark significant progress in the sector.”

Netrasemi has developed three flagship SoCs—Netra R1000, Netra A2000, and Netra A4000—featuring patented graph-stream hardware acceleration for enhanced performance and energy efficiency. These chips are tailored for various applications, including surveillance and smart sensors, industrial automation and robotics, and drones and autonomous vehicles.

Co-founder Jyothis Indirabhai highlighted the significance of the milestone, stating, “Netrasemi’s AI/ML SoCs will be the first from India for intelligent edge devices. With this funding, we aim to accelerate innovation and expand our impact on global markets.”