In this interview, Suresh Kumar Muthusamy, Co-Founder & Director of Zettaone Technologies, shares how the company evolved into a design-to-manufacturing powerhouse. In conversation with Vaishali Umredkar, Editor of Semiconductor For You, he highlights key inflection points, India’s semiconductor opportunity, and Zettaone’s role in enabling end-to-end product realization.
Zettaone Technologies began as a PCB engineering services firm and has evolved into a full-fledged product engineering and manufacturing company. What were the key inflection points in this journey?
Zettaone’s evolution has been very deliberate. We started with PCB design services, building deep expertise in high-speed, high-density designs for global customers. The first inflection point came when customers began relying on us not just for design, but for complete product realization—including component engineering, prototyping, and validation.
The second major shift was our expansion into semiconductor interface solutions—such as ATE boards, probe cards, and load boards—where precision, signal integrity, and reliability are critical. This positioned us closer to the semiconductor ecosystem.
The third inflection point was investing in full-scale manufacturing, including SMT lines and system integration capabilities. Today, we operate as a true end-to-end partner—from concept, architecture, design, prototyping, validation, to volume production and system build.
As a co-founder, what was your original vision for Zettaone, and how has that vision evolved with the changing electronics and semiconductor landscape?
Our initial vision was to build a strong, globally competitive PCB design organization from India. Over time, we realized customers were looking for partners who could take complete ownership of product development and manufacturing, not just design.
Today, our vision has evolved into building a comprehensive electronics and semiconductor ecosystem company, where we support customers across:
- Semiconductor test interfaces (ATE, probe, load boards)
- Product engineering (embedded systems, hardware, firmware)
- Manufacturing and system integration
With the global push for supply chain diversification and India’s semiconductor ambitions, we are aligning ourselves as a design-to-manufacturing anchor within this ecosystem.
Zettaone today offers end-to-end services—from design to manufacturing. How important is this integrated approach in today’s competitive electronics ecosystem?
This integrated approach is absolutely critical. Products today are complex, with tight coupling between silicon, hardware, and software. By offering concept-to-production services, we ensure:
- Better design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT)
- Faster prototyping and validation cycles
- Seamless transition from engineering builds to mass production
For semiconductor-related solutions like ATE boards and load boards, this integration is especially important because design accuracy directly impacts yield and test efficiency. Our ability to design, validate, and manufacture under one roof significantly reduces risk and time-to-market.
The company has expanded from design services to setting up advanced manufacturing facilities, including a production unit in Tamil Nadu. What strategic thinking drove this expansion?
The move into manufacturing was both strategic and customer-driven. Customers wanted a trusted India-based partner who could not only design but also deliver production-ready hardware.
Tamil Nadu offered a strong ecosystem—policy support, talent, and infrastructure—which made it an ideal location. This expansion allows us to:
- Manufacture high-complexity boards like ATE, probe interfaces, and high-layer count PCBs
- Support box build, system integration, and complete product assembly
- Deliver localized, scalable production
It also aligns with global supply chain shifts and India’s push toward electronics manufacturing leadership.
Zettaone has seen strong growth in recent years. What have been the primary drivers behind this momentum?
Our growth has been driven by:
- Expanding scope of engagement – moving from design services to full product ownership
- Strong positioning in semiconductor interface boards – ATE, probe cards, and load boards
- Integrated ecosystem – combining engineering, manufacturing, and system build
- Market tailwinds – supply chain diversification and India’s growing relevance
Additionally, our ability to support customers from evaluation boards and SOM-based platforms to complete production systems has significantly increased our value proposition.
The addition of new SMT lines and manufacturing capabilities marks an important milestone. How does this strengthen your position in the EMS and semiconductor value chain?
The new SMT lines enhance our capability to manufacture high-reliability, high-precision electronics, which is essential for semiconductor applications.
Specifically, this strengthens our position by enabling:
- Production of ATE boards, load boards, and probe card interfaces with tight tolerances
- Assembly of complex multilayer, high-speed designs
- End-to-end delivery—from bare board to fully integrated systems
We are not just an EMS player—we are positioned as a critical bridge between semiconductor design, testing, and end-product realization.
India is pushing hard to build a self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem. What are the biggest gaps and opportunities today?
India’s strengths lie in design talent and system engineering, but gaps remain in:
- Advanced fabrication
- Materials and equipment ecosystem
- High-end testing infrastructure
However, there are strong opportunities in:
- Semiconductor test solutions (ATE, load boards, probe cards)
- OSAT and system-level testing
- Electronics manufacturing and embedded systems
Companies like Zettaone can play a key role in building the downstream ecosystem that converts silicon into usable products.
How can Indian design and manufacturing companies like Zettaone complement large-scale fab investments?
Fabs alone don’t create value unless there is a strong ecosystem to support testing, validation, and productization.
Zettaone contributes by:
- Designing and manufacturing test interface hardware (ATE/load boards/probe cards)
- Enabling evaluation platforms and reference designs
- Supporting system integration and end-product development
This ensures that chips manufactured in India can be quickly validated, deployed, and scaled into real-world applications.
What role do EMS and PCB design companies play in strengthening India’s semiconductor supply chain?
They are foundational. PCB design and EMS companies:
- Translate chip functionality into usable systems
- Enable test, validation, and qualification infrastructure
- Drive local value addition and manufacturing scale
With advanced capabilities in high-speed design, signal integrity, and precision manufacturing, they become essential enablers of the semiconductor ecosystem.
Your company emphasizes “design-to-manufacturing” within India. How does this align with Make in India?
Our model directly supports Make in India by ensuring that value creation happens domestically across the lifecycle:
- Concept and architecture
- Design and engineering
- Manufacturing and system build
By building capabilities in semiconductor interface boards, embedded systems, and complete product development, we are increasing local value addition and reducing dependency on imports.
Looking ahead, what are Zettaone’s strategic priorities over the next 3–5 years?
Our priorities are centered around strengthening our role in the electronics and semiconductor ecosystem:
- Advancing embedded systems and SOM-based product platforms
- Delivering complete systems for end markets—from industrial to automotive and beyond
- Scaling advanced manufacturing with higher capacity and precision
- Expanding semiconductor interface solutions (ATE boards, probe cards, load boards)
- Building capabilities in semiconductor testing and validation
Our goal is to establish Zettaone as a leading concept-to-production partner, enabling customers to move from idea to scalable product entirely within India.