The semiconductor industry is entering a defining decade. As AI, EVs, and edge computing scale rapidly, the focus is shifting from just software to the chips and systems powering it all.

India is increasingly becoming part of that story, driven by strong design talent, startup momentum, and a growing semiconductor ecosystem.

We recently had the privilege of hosting Dr. Karthik Sankaran for a Zero-Hour Conversation. Currently a Professor of Practice at Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Dharwad, Dr. Karthik brings decades of experience across Intel, National Semiconductor, and Analog Devices, where he helped build and scale semiconductor product development teams in India. He has also worked closely with India’s startup ecosystem through Deshpande Startups and as co-founder of Black Lotus.

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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀:

𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 - AI, EVs, telecom, industrial automation, and edge devices are all accelerating global chip demand

𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 - with a significant share of the global chip design workforce, the opportunity to build from India is stronger than ever

𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽-𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 - semiconductor startups demand patient capital, technical depth, and longer development cycles

𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿-𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 - the future will be shaped by real-time, low-power intelligence closer to the device

𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - talent, tooling, capital, manufacturing, and customer adoption all need to evolve together

These are not just industry trends, but long-term shifts that will shape how the next generation of technology gets built and scaled.

Thank you Dr. Karthik for joining us at Zero Hour Conversation and sharing such thoughtful perspectives on the future of semiconductors, deep-tech, and India’s role in the global ecosystem.

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