Mindgrove to Launch Secure IoT Chip by Year-End

Mindgrove Technologies is preparing to begin mass shipments of its secure IoT chip by the end of this year, marking a critical milestone for the Indian fablesemiconductor startup. The company stated that most of the groundwork for shipping the device is complete, with only final testing details remaining. Evaluation boards and developer kits are already being offered, with full commercial availability expected within weeks.

According to co-founder and CEO Shashwath TR, the launch timeline is firm despite earlier delays in the consumer appliance market. While initial hopes for strong adoption in home electronics have been tempered by a slow market, interest from industrial and security sectors has remained robust. This shift in demand drivers is central to the company’s current strategy and product roadmap.

Surveillance chip targets CCTV systems

The company’s second major product, the Vision SoC V2600, is specifically engineered for closed-circuit television and security infrastructure. Approximately 95% of the chip’s design focuses on addressing the unique requirements of the CCTV industry, which is currently undergoing a transition from analogue systems to network video recorders. This chip is not a general-purpose processor but a specialized tool for high-resolution, secure video processing.

In June, Mindgrove signed a memorandum of understanding with Prama India for the first commercial deployment of this vision chip. The agreement allows Prama to integrate the indigenously designed processor into its security product portfolio. The company aims to have prototypes ready by the end of this year, with customer trials planned for early next year and a full launch by the end of 2025.

Supply chain hurdles slow global push

The path to mass production has been complicated by external disruptions in the global supply chain. The company reported that raw material shortages, partly driven by high demand from the AI sector, created significant bottlenecks. Additionally, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East disrupted the shipping of single-sourced materials from the region, adding further fragility to the manufacturing process.

Mindgrove claims these logistical issues have been largely resolved, allowing for easier repeat orders and stable production. While the company currently relies on a strong domestic customer base in India, many of these clients serve overseas markets or are subsidiaries of multinational firms. This indirect route allows Mindgrove’s chips to reach international shelves without direct global marketing efforts, a strategy the firm plans to expand once its supply chain is fully stabilized.

Future chips address quantum security

The company’s naming convention reflects the year a chip is conceived, with the "26" in V2600 and V2601 indicating a 2026 design cycle. The upcoming V2601 is being developed as a general-purpose processor for a wider range of applications, including automotive and industrial control. This expansion aims to reduce reliance on the specific CCTV niche while maintaining a focus on secure connectivity.

As security standards evolve, Mindgrove is designing its next-generation chips to support post-quantum cryptographic algorithms. This is a necessary upgrade as pre-quantum standards are expected to be phased out around 2030 or 2031. The company plans to release periodic refreshes of its chip families to address these evolving security requirements and shifting market demands, ensuring its products remain relevant in a changing technological landscape.