HrdWyr Raises $13M Series A to Build AI-Native Chips

BENGALURU: Indian fabless semiconductor startup HrdWyr has raised $13 million in Series A funding to expand its AI-native chip business globally.

The round, announced on May 12, was led by Ideaspring Capital, with Singularity AMC and Avatar Growth Capital joining as new investors, and Persistent Systems participating as an existing backer.

Unlike conventional chip designs, HrdWyr builds AI directly into its chip architecture from the ground up, enabling faster real-time edge processing at significantly lower power consumption.

Ramamurthy Sivakumar and Guruswamy Ganesh founded HrdWyr in 2023 as industry veterans. The pair brings deep experience from global semiconductor companies to the startup. Their chips target consumer electronics, EVs, white goods, and data centers worldwide.

The startup recently announced a strategic collaboration with consumer electronics brand boAt. The partnership pushes HrdWyr deeper into India’s growing consumer technology segment. Other customer engagements span automotive, appliance, and infrastructure markets globally.

The fresh capital funds accelerated development of HrdWyr’s AI system-on-chip products. The company also plans to expand customer engagements across international markets aggressively. Engineering hires across chip design and packaging disciplines remain a top priority.

India’s semiconductor ecosystem attracts surging investor and policy attention amid global supply chain shifts. The country’s semiconductor market should grow to $155 billion by 2031 from $62 billion today. Government policy commits ₹76,000 crore under the India Semiconductor Mission.

The Union Cabinet approved two new semiconductor manufacturing projects worth ₹3,936 crore in Gujarat recently. Total approved projects under the mission now reach 12 across India. More than 130 semiconductor startups currently operate across the country.

HrdWyr positions itself among India’s earliest AI-native chip startups targeting global markets.