- Kochi-based Silizium Circuits creates India’s first fully designed 5G chip.
- 5G LNA chip boosts weak signals, enhances call clarity, and internet speed.
- Milestone signifies India’s semiconductor self-reliance and startup innovation growth.
A technology startup based in Kochi has reached an important milestone for India’s electronics sector. Silizium Circuits, located at Maker Village and Rajagiri Incubation Centre, has created a 5G chip that is entirely conceived and manufactured from start to finish in India, an uncommon achievement in the nation's expanding semiconductor industry.
The startup, backed by IIT Hyderabad’s FabCI and the Kerala Startup Mission, aims to develop chips for wireless communication. Its newest advancement - a 5G Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) chip, enhances weak mobile signals, leading to better call clarity and increased internet speeds, especially in regions with limited network coverage.
What distinguishes this accomplishment is that it is the initial 5G chip in India to receive funding from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) through its Digital Communication Innovation Scheme.
“It took us time and effort, but it’s a proud moment for all of us,” said Rijin John, co-founder and CEO of Silizium Circuits. “We designed the chip completely here in India with our 26-member team spread across Kochi and Hyderabad.”
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Even though the chip ended up being produced overseas, since India lacks its own semiconductor fabrication facility, all phases of its design, testing, and validation were conducted by Indian engineers. The chip’s success is viewed as a significant advancement in India's pursuit of self-sufficiency in semiconductor technology, an area presently led by nations such as Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States.
For Silizium Circuits, which began modestly a few years back, this success has strengthened the belief that Indian startups can contend internationally in sophisticated chip design, “This is just the beginning,” Rijin said. “We want to make more such products that can power the next generation of communication and technology in India.”