First 5G IoT Chip Combining “Design in India” and “Make in India” capabilities by Cyient, IIT H, and WiSig Networks
- The partners have signed an MoU to volume produce 5G NB-IoT SoC chip in India
Cyient, a leading global technology solutions company, has partnered with IIT Hyderabad (IITH) and WiSig Networks, a startup incubated at IITH, to enable volume production of India’s first architected and designed chip – the Koala NB-IoT SoC (Narrowband-IoT System-on-Chip). The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between them is aligned with MEITY’s (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, India) goals of building a vibrant semiconductor design and innovation ecosystem to enable the emergence of India as a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design.
IITH and WiSig developed the Koala chip, and Cyient enabled the IC (integrated circuit) design for this project. Volume production of the NB-IoT SoC includes the development of a package, production test solution suited for volume production, organization of silicon fabrication, volume testing of the IC, and the management of supplying the chip.
NB-IoT is a 5G massive Machine-Type-Communication (MTC) technology, a fast-growing one, that enables low-bit rate IoT applications with long-range and extends device battery life up to 10 years. Smart meters, machine-to-machine connectivity, Industry 4.0, a plethora of sensor connectivity, asset tracking, digital healthcare, and many more applications will benefit by using this NB-IoT chip.
Krishna Bodanapu, MD and CEO, Cyient, said, “We are proud to be part of this momentous project that puts India on the map on Semiconductor design innovation. We started with enabling the design of India’s first indigenously developed NB-IoT SoC chip with partners IIT- H and WiSig Networks. We are excited to join hands with them toward commercializing this 5G chip in the country. I thank these partners and MEITY for their trust in our expertise. “
Prof. B.S. Murty, Director, IITH, said, “I thank DoT and MEITY for enabling the design of an indigenously developed chip to reach the mass production stage. This is a major milestone in India’s 5G Fabless Chip Design space journey. I am also happy that an IITH incubated startup WiSig is partnering with an Indian MNC Cyient that showcases the success of translational research by IITH, which is crucial for realizing an Atma Nirbhar Bharat.”
About Cyient
Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) is a leading consulting-led, industry-centric, global Technology Solutions company. We enable our customers to apply technology imaginatively across their value chain to solve problems that matter. We are committed to designing tomorrow together with our stakeholders and being a culturally inclusive, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable organization.
For more information, please visit www.cyient.com
Follow news about the company at @Cyient
About WiSig Networks Private Limited
WiSig Networks is a leading 5G Technology innovator from India, creating product intellectual properties that is licensed to semicon manufacturers and telecom equipment manufacturers. It has filed over 100 patents out of which many are part of 5G standard essential patents.WiSig Networks was incubated in 2016 at Hyderabad with an intention to develop and commercialise new 5G communication technologies and the internet of things. WiSig is growing fast and now has a team of 50+ researchers and engineers
About IIT Hyderabad
Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) is one of the eight new IITs established by the Government of India in 2008. In a short span of 14 years, the institute has become a top-ranker. Currently, it has 260+ full-time faculty, ~3,900 students, nearly 200+ state-of-the-art laboratories, and five research and entrepreneurship centers. The institute has a strong research focus with approx Rs 575+ crore of sanctioned research funding, with PhD scholars accounting for about 30% of total student strength. IITH has to its credit more than 7200+ research publications, 210+ patent disclosures, 1600+ sponsored/consultancy projects, and about 100+ startups.
To know more, please visit: https://www.iith.ac.in/
