New Delhi: BigEndian Semiconductors has signed an agreement with the Technology Development Board (TDB), Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, for financial support of ₹130 crore under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund to develop an indigenous AI Vision System-on-Chip (SoC).
The project, named Project VeerAI, has a total project cost of ₹260 crore and aims to advance the technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-5 to TRL-9.
The financial support to BigEndian Semiconductors will be provided through Optional Convertible Debt (OCD).
Project VeerAI is focused on developing a camera-focused AI Vision SoC on a sovereign technology platform. The project seeks to address the growing requirement for secure, intelligent and application-specific semiconductor solutions.
BigEndian Semiconductors to Develop Secure AI Chip for Surveillance
The BigEndian Semiconductors project is positioned around the development of a secure AI chip for surveillance applications, particularly CCTV systems.
The initiative aims to reduce dependence on externally developed semiconductor and technology supply chains.
The proposed platform is designed to combine AI processing and smart features with security, privacy and connectivity capabilities.
The technology is initially being developed for CCTV and surveillance applications in India and the Global South, with a roadmap for deployment across multiple sectors.
Beyond surveillance, Project VeerAI is envisaged for applications in defence, automotive, industrial and medical domains. This is intended to create a wider market for indigenous AI-enabled semiconductor solutions.
Project VeerAI to Progress from TRL-5 to TRL-9
Through the RDI support, BigEndian Semiconductors will undertake further technology development, validation, integration, testing and scale-up activities required to progress Project VeerAI from TRL-5 to TRL-9.
The project also seeks to leverage India’s growing VLSI design and semiconductor talent by translating domestic design capabilities into a scalable product platform.
By focusing on application-specific SoCs rather than general-purpose chips, the programme aims to address specific industry requirements while enabling faster technology deployment and commercialisation.
The development of indigenous AI and semiconductor technologies has growing significance as connected devices and intelligent systems become increasingly embedded across critical infrastructure.
Secure and application-specific chips can play an important role in addressing requirements related to data security, privacy, device-level intelligence and technology sovereignty.
BigEndian Semiconductors Project Targets Multiple Critical Sectors
While surveillance and CCTV systems are the initial focus of Project VeerAI, the platform is being developed with applications across several sectors in mind.
The AI Vision SoC is envisaged for use in defence, automotive, industrial and medical domains. The project is also aimed at supporting the development of indigenous semiconductor solutions that can address sector-specific requirements.
The focus on application-specific semiconductor technology is intended to enable BigEndian Semiconductors to build a scalable platform based on domestic VLSI design capabilities.
The project will move through further development, validation, integration and testing before reaching commercial deployment readiness at TRL-9.
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TDB Support for Indigenous Semiconductor Development
The ₹130 crore support from the RDI Fund will help BigEndian Semiconductors advance Project VeerAI from its current TRL-5 stage towards TRL-9.
Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB, said, “Semiconductors are foundational to almost every emerging technology, and building indigenous capabilities in application-specific AI chips is an important part of strengthening India’s technology ecosystem.
The RDI Fund enables sustained support for technologies that require significant investment to move from advanced development to commercial deployment.
The support to BigEndian Semiconductors reflects TDB’s focus on enabling Indian companies to develop strategic semiconductor capabilities and translate domestic design expertise into deployable products.”
The agreement between TDB and BigEndian Semiconductors is part of the support for advancing semiconductor technology from development and validation stages towards commercial deployment.
BigEndian Semiconductors to Accelerate Project VeerAI
Promoters of BigEndian Semiconductors said, “The RDI support from TDB will enable us to accelerate the development and validation of Project VeerAI and take our AI Vision SoC towards commercial readiness.
Our focus is on building a secure, application-specific semiconductor platform that can address the requirements of surveillance and other critical sectors while leveraging India’s indigenous semiconductor design capabilities.
This partnership will help us progress the technology towards TRL-9 and contribute to the development of a stronger domestic semiconductor ecosystem.”
With a total project cost of ₹260 crore and ₹130 crore in RDI support, Project VeerAI will focus on advancing the AI Vision SoC through technology development, validation, integration, testing and scale-up.
The initiative is aimed at building an indigenous, secure and application-specific semiconductor platform initially targeting surveillance and CCTV applications, while creating a pathway for deployment across defence, automotive, industrial and medical applications.
