India’s R&D Is Shaping the Future of Our 3nm and AI-Enabled Chips

SemiconductorForu engages in an insightful conversation with Malini Narayanamoorthi, India Country Manager and VP, MID Engineering, Analog & Connectivity Group, Renesas, to explore how Renesas is strengthening its India R&D presence and aligning it with global innovation goals. She discusses India’s growing contributions to advanced-node chip design, AI-enabled MCU and SoC development, and strategic collaborations with academia and startups — all aimed at positioning India as a key hub in Renesas’ global semiconductor roadmap.

Q: Could you elaborate on how product management is aligning with Renesas’ expanding India R&D teams to influence global product roadmaps?

MALINI: Renesas’ product management is increasingly integrating India’s R&D contributions into global roadmaps while exploring local avenues as well. The expansion of design centers in Noida and Bengaluru—now our largest site in India—has enabled global development of advanced semiconductor solutions, including microcontrollers (MCUs), system-on-chips (SoCs), connectivity, and power devices.

Q: India teams are contributing to advanced-node designs such as 3 nm — could you share which product lines are likely to benefit first?

MALINI: Renesas has a extensive portfolio across micro controller, processors, power and connectivity.  We have grown all the teams in India.  Some of the contributions from India’s R&D teams include collaborating with our global teams and contributing to 3nm chip designs, notably the R-Car X5H, Renesas’ first automotive multi-domain SoC built on 3nm process technology. This SoC is targeted at global automotive markets, supporting zonal architectures and software-defined vehicles. Another one from India is our team developing memory chips for the DDR5 families.  We also have teams contributing on a number of global power products as well.

Q: How does Renesas balance the specific needs of Indian customers in automotive, EV, and industrial sectors with its global product priorities?

• Automotive: Focus on EV, cockpit, and ADAS solutions for both 2W and 4W OEMs.
• Industrial: Emphasis on metering, motor control, and building automation solutions showcased at the recent Electronica India 2025.

Could you highlight the role of India’s R&D in shaping recent MCU and SoC innovations, particularly AI-enabled and high-performance devices?

MALINI: The India RnD not only focusses on building chips but also on solutions.  Our chips are quite versatile and can be used across many different application.  Some of the edge AI Applications we have are solutions for robotics, face recognition, and smart home products. Ofcoruse on the automotive space  we support a number of ADAS functions among other applications of AI

Q: Renesas has partnered with startups and academia in India – how will teams here collaborate and what outcomes do you expect?”

MALINI: Renesas has signed multi-year MOUs with IIT Hyderabad (in 2024) and C-DAC (in 2025) under MeitY’s Chips to Startup (C2S) program. These partnerships aim to:

• Provide hardware kits and PCB design tools to 270+ colleges and 70+ startups.
• Develop embedded systems coursework and quick-connect kits for hands-on learning.
• Foster a long-term talent funnel for embedded and SoC expertise.
• Inculcate product mindset among young engineering students to build for the customer.

Q: When it comes to India-designed chips, does Renesas plan to work with local partners for packaging and testing?

MALINI: Renesas is collaborating with CG Power and Stars Microelectronics to establish an OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) facility in Sanand, Gujarat. This joint venture supports local chip packaging and testing, aligning with India’s semiconductor manufacturing ambitions.

Q: Looking ahead three to five years, what share of Renesas’ global innovation do you expect to come from India, and how will you measure that success?

MALINI: Renesas aims for India to contribute 10% of global revenue by 2030, driven by:

• Headcount growth to 1,000 by end of 2025
• System-level thinking, customer first mindset, and local end-end product development as key growth levers

Success will be measured through revenue contribution and the scalability of India-designed solutions across global markets.