Beyond Silicon: Why Gallium Nitride Is Becoming Critical To India’s Tech Ambiti ...
In an interaction with BW Businessworld, Hareesh Chandrasekar, Co-founder and CEO of AGNIT Semiconductors, discusses India's semiconductor ambitions, the strategic importance of gallium nitride technology, defence applications, China's semiconductor push, talent challenges, and policy reforms needed to strengthen India's deep-tech ecosystem. AGNIT is India's first vertically integrated gallium nitride semiconductor product company, focused on developing indigenous semiconductor technologies for strategic sectors. Excerpts:The global semiconductor industry is witnessing unprecedented investment from governments and private players. Where does AGNIT Semiconductors position itself in this rapidly evolving landscape?
The semiconductor sector has become a strategic priority worldwide, with countries seeking to build both design and manufacturing capabilities. AGNIT occupies a unique position because we are India's first vertically integrated gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor product company. Unlike many firms that focus solely on chip design, we also possess manufacturing technology for producing our semiconductor devices.
India has long been recognised for its semiconductor design talent. However, much of the intellectual property ownership historically remained with multinational corporations. What is changing today is the emergence of Indian semiconductor startups that own both the IP and the products they develop.
At AGNIT, our gallium nitride technology is developed in-house, and the intellectual property belongs to us. Customers purchase AGNIT products directly, making us a true semiconductor product company rather than merely a design services provider. This shift towards indigenous ownership of technology is a significant development for India's semiconductor ecosystem.
Which sectors are currently adopting AGNIT's products?
We are presently working with India's strategic sector, including defence, aerospace and space-related applications. We have multiple pilot programmes underway with both public sector undertakings and private defence companies.
While I am not in a position to disclose customer names at this stage, I can say that we have received encouraging results from field trials for some of our products. We expect several of these programmes to transition into volume production over the coming months.
Our focus remains largely on Indian customers operating in strategic domains where secure and indigenous semiconductor supply chains are increasingly important.
Gallium nitride is increasingly being discussed as a critical semiconductor technology. How does it differ from traditional silicon semiconductors?
Semiconductor applications can broadly be classified into logic, memory and discrete devices. Gallium nitride primarily serves the discrete segment, particularly applications involving power handling and radio frequency systems.
For instance, GaN technology is already present in many modern fast chargers because it enables highly efficient power conversion. In the defence and aerospace sectors, its importance becomes even more pronounced.
Gallium nitride excels in power amplification. Radar systems, electronic warfare equipment, drone communications, radio links and other wireless communication platforms rely on power amplifiers. These components take low-power signals and amplify them into high-power transmissions. GaN enables this process more efficiently than traditional silicon technologies.
The result is smaller, lighter, more efficient and more powerful systems. In strategic applications where size, weight and performance are critical, these advantages become extremely valuable.
Is gallium nitride still a relatively new technology compared with silicon?
Yes. Silicon has been around since the 1940s and has benefited from decades of continuous development. Gallium nitride, on the other hand, is relatively young as a commercial technology.
Commercial GaN products began appearing in radio frequency applications around 2012–2014. In consumer electronics, widespread adoption started around 2019–2020 through fast-charging devices.
Despite its relative youth, gallium nitride has become one of the most important semiconductor materials after silicon because of its capabilities in power conversion and radio frequency applications.
For India, this presents a major opportunity. While we may lag significantly behind global leaders in advanced silicon manufacturing, the gap in compound semiconductors such as gallium nitride is much narrower. With focused investment and support, India has a realistic opportunity to catch up in this field within a few years.
How difficult is it to develop indigenous gallium nitride technology?
It is extremely challenging. One indication of its strategic value is that gallium nitride technology falls under export control regimes such as the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and similar European restrictions.
Very few countries possess the capability to develop and manufacture gallium nitride devices domestically. It requires highly specialised expertise, advanced manufacturing processes and long-term investment.
Our own journey began at the Indian Institute of Science, where gallium nitride research started around 2006–2007. Commercialisation efforts began only in 2021, after nearly 15 years of research, patents and technology development.
This is not a technology that can be developed overnight. Building capabilities in both semiconductor design and manufacturing requires sustained effort over many years.
Why is gallium nitride considered strategically important for military platforms such as advanced fighter aircraft?
Modern military systems increasingly rely on Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars. Gallium nitride serves as the key power amplification technology inside these next-generation radar systems.
Every modern combat aircraft uses sophisticated radar technology. The power amplifier is a critical component that determines radar performance, range and efficiency. Gallium nitride enables higher power output, better thermal performance and improved reliability.
This is why developing domestic capability is so important. It is not enough merely to understand the technology; a country must also be able to manufacture and supply these components at scale.
There is a crucial role here for startups and private industry. Government laboratories have developed significant expertise, but commercial entities are needed to produce and distribute these technologies across the broader defence ecosystem.
How many companies in India currently possess end-to-end gallium nitride capabilities?
If we define vertical integration as covering the entire chain—from material development and wafer processing to finished packaged semiconductor products—the number is very limited.
At AGNIT, we develop our own gallium nitride wafers, operate proprietary manufacturing processes and convert those wafers into semiconductor devices. This process involves more than 200 manufacturing steps before a finished chip emerges.
To the best of my knowledge, we are currently the only private-sector company in India operating across the full gallium nitride value chain. There are other organisations involved in specific segments such as design, but many of those depend on overseas foundries for manufacturing.
Can foreign investment play a role in accelerating India's gallium nitride ecosystem?
Foreign investment can be valuable, but not merely because of capital. India's deep-tech investment ecosystem is maturing rapidly, and venture capital for semiconductor startups is becoming more accessible.
The real value that international investors can bring lies in global networks, business relationships, market access and strategic partnerships.
Since gallium nitride remains a specialised field with relatively few global players, international connections can open commercial opportunities that may otherwise take years to establish.
Therefore, global investors can contribute significantly beyond financial investment alone.
How does India's semiconductor ecosystem compare with China's?
China has invested enormous resources into semiconductors because it recognises that access to technology has become a strategic necessity.
One lesson India can learn from China is the importance of long-term commitment. China invested heavily not only in infrastructure and capital but also in attracting global Chinese talent back home to build domestic semiconductor companies.
Semiconductors today are no longer just an industrial sector; they are a geopolitical instrument. They underpin artificial intelligence, advanced electronics, defence systems and future economic competitiveness.
India needs greater investment, a more targeted strategy and stronger programmes to attract experienced semiconductor professionals from overseas. These measures would significantly accelerate ecosystem development.
What role can gallium nitride play in addressing the energy demands of AI and data centres?
Data centres are becoming major consumers of electricity, particularly with the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.
One of the most effective ways to manage this challenge is through improved power efficiency. Gallium nitride and silicon carbide technologies enable more efficient power conversion systems, reducing energy losses.
In many cases, GaN-based power converters can be three to six per cent more efficient than silicon alternatives. While that difference may appear modest, the impact becomes substantial when applied across facilities consuming megawatts or even gigawatts of power.
AI data centres will inevitably require significant energy and cooling resources. The key challenge is ensuring they operate as efficiently as possible, and advanced semiconductor technologies can play a major role in achieving that objective.
Does India face a semiconductor talent gap?
India certainly has abundant raw talent. However, there remains a gap in industry-ready manpower, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing.
Many companies still need to train new recruits for several months before they become fully productive. This indicates that there is room for improvement in specialised training and workforce development.
Another major opportunity lies in attracting experienced Indian professionals currently working abroad. Thousands of Indians hold senior positions across global semiconductor companies. Bringing even a fraction of that talent back would have a transformative impact on the domestic ecosystem.
What policy recommendations would you give to the government?
The first priority should be procurement reform. For many semiconductor startups serving strategic sectors, the biggest challenge is not funding but obtaining the first purchase order.
The government can play an important role as an early customer. A clear procurement roadmap and initial orders can provide startups with the credibility required to raise capital and scale operations.
The second area is talent attraction. India should consider programmes similar to China's Thousand Talents initiative, which successfully encouraged skilled professionals to return home.
Government support could help startups recruit experienced global talent by partially supporting compensation during the initial years. Such measures would strengthen both the talent base and the broader semiconductor ecosystem.
India has already made significant progress. The next step is ensuring that innovative startups receive market access and experienced talent so they can scale globally competitive technologies from within the country.
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