Raana Semiconductors Pvt. Ltd. (RSPL), an India-based company specializing in crystal growth systems and single-crystal materials, has raised US$3 million in a seed funding round, marking its first institutional capital raise. The pure equity round was led by Equirus Innovatex Fund and Artha Venture Fund, with participation from IvyCap Ventures, PointOne Capital, CIIE Initiatives (IIMA Ventures), and angel investor Garimella Laxminarayana. Valuation details were not disclosed, according to Inc42, Saure Energy, and BW Disrupt

Paras Defence and Space Technologies Ltd. announced the launch of a new subsidiary, Paras Semiconductor Pvt. Ltd., marking the company's expansion into the semiconductor packaging and assembly sector. The move aims to address gaps in India's domestic capability for advanced semiconductor packaging, particularly for defence and strategic electronics applications

Reliance Industries, led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, unveiled plans for a new artificial intelligence (AI) platform under its Jio brand on January 11, designed to allow users to access AI services in their own language. The announcement, made at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Rajkot, underscores Reliance's push to scale AI infrastructure and applications nationwide

Electronics manufacturing services major Foxconn and India's HCL Group have formally named their semiconductor joint venture India Chip Private Limited, according to a regulatory filing made on January 14, marking a key step in operationalising their collaboration in India's chip ecosystem, according to PTI and the Economic Times

Reports that Reliance Industries has paused plans to manufacture lithium-ion battery cells have reignited debate over India's clean-energy ambitions, highlighting technology bottlenecks even as the conglomerate insists its net-zero strategy and investment roadmap remain firmly on track

EV manufacturer Ola Electric has rolled out Ola Shakti, a residential battery energy storage system (BESS), from its gigafactory in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, marking the company's formal entry into India's residential energy storage market and an expansion beyond its core automotive business, according to ANI, PV Magazine, and the Economic Times

Luxshare Precision Industry said it has moved to terminate an agreement to buy an India-based business asset package from Wingtech Technology after the transfer was blocked by legal restrictions, including seizures and freezes, escalating a cross-border dispute that both sides have now taken to arbitration in Singapore

Acer is intensifying its efforts in the Indian PC market, aiming to increase its consumer PC market share from 15% to 20% by 2026, with gaming PCs playing a central role, according to Harish Kohli, president and managing director of Acer India. The company's push includes hosting the annual Predator League esports finals in New Delhi

India's PC market is poised for strong growth, supported by the country's vast population and proactive government initiatives in digital transformation and local manufacturing. Despite India's population of 1.5 billion, the current annual PC sales volume is only around 15 million units, reflecting a penetration rate of roughly 10%, according to Harish Kohli, president and managing director of Acer India. This gap indicates a substantial opportunity for growth in both demand and production

Lenovo is aiming to double its business in India over the next three years, leveraging strong growth in its Motorola smartphone segment and its infrastructure and services verticals, according to company executives. Lenovo's Asia Pacific leadership highlighted domestic consumption and the "India for the world" strategy as central to the company's future expansion, with India emerging as one of Lenovo's fastest-growing markets worldwide, according to the Economic Times

India's semiconductor ambitions are beginning to extend beyond fabrication and conventional packaging into secure chip personalization and cryptographic control, as Kaynes Semicon and SEALSQ detailed the roadmap for their newly approved joint venture (JV)

Sharp ceased production at its Sakai Display Product (SDP) factory in late August 2024, ending operations at the world's only 10G LCD panel fab. Despite this closure, Sharp is pursuing plans to build a new 10.5G LCD panel manufacturing facility in India in partnership with the Adani Group, a major Indian conglomerate. The initiative reflects Sharp's continued interest in expanding its LCD panel production, though significant challenges remain

India's backend semiconductor makers see temporary relief from material constraints linked to legacy packaging, as KLA opens a US$36 million R&D hub in Chennai to boost AI, software, and process control capabilities

India is weighing a sweeping set of new security requirements that could force smartphone makers to share sensitive source code with government-appointed laboratories, according to Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter and a review of confidential documents, reigniting a long-running tug of war between New Delhi and global technology companies over privacy, surveillance, and control of digital infrastructure

India has made measurable progress in nurturing a domestic semiconductor chip design ecosystem, with early outcomes emerging from government-backed programmes aimed at reducing dependence on imported intellectual property and strengthening participation in higher-value segments of the global chip industry