Bengaluru-based semiconductor startup HrdWyr has raised $13 Mn (about ₹124 Cr) in its Series A funding round led by Ideaspring Capital. The round also saw participation from Singularity AMC, Avatar Growth Capital and existing investor Persistent Systems.

The startup said the fresh capital will be used to accelerate the development of its AI-native system-on-chip (AISoC) products and expand customer engagements in global markets.

Founded in 2023 by industry veterans Ramamurthy Sivakumar and Guruswamy Ganesh, HrdWyr operates as a full-stack fabless semiconductor product startup and focuses on building end-to-end AI-native semiconductor products for global markets. Unlike traditional IP licensing or services-led models, the startup integrates AI directly into chip architecture to enable devices to process and respond to data in real time at the edge.

The startup said its approach is aimed at high-volume and cost-sensitive sectors where power efficiency and faster response times are more important than raw computing performance. Its chips are targeted at segments such as consumer electronics, EVs, white goods and data centres.

HrdWyr recently announced a strategic collaboration with boAt as part of its push into the consumer technology segment.

The startup describes itself as one of India’s early AI-native chip startups focused on building semiconductor products for global markets and accelerating the adoption of physical AI applications.

The funding comes at a time when India’s semiconductor ecosystem is seeing rising investor and policy interest amid global supply chain uncertainty and the growing push to reduce dependence on a few manufacturing hubs such as Taiwan. 

As per Inc42’s “India’s Semiconductor Uprising Report 2026”, the country’s semiconductor market is expected to grow to $155 Bn by 2031 from about $62 Bn in 2026, driven by increasing domestic demand, policy support and global supply chain diversification.

The Centre has already committed about ₹76,000 Cr under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), spanning fabrication support and design-linked incentives. 

Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet also approved two new semiconductor manufacturing projects worth ₹3,936 Cr in Gujarat, taking the total number of approved semiconductor projects under the ISM to 12, with planned investments of around ₹1.64 Lakh Cr.

At the same time, investor interest in semiconductor and AI infrastructure startups has been rising steadily. Earlier this year, Bengaluru-based Turiyam.ai raised $4 Mn to build AI compute infrastructure focused on inference workloads, while startups working on edge AI chips, compound semiconductors and chip design are also attracting fresh capital. 

According to Inc42 data, more than 130 semiconductor startups are currently active in India across areas such as analogue design, edge AI chips, RISC-V architecture and packaging technologies.

 

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