Nvidia eyes partnership with India to develop a new AI chip, all you need to know

• Nvidia wants to partner with India to develop new AI chip
• The discussions are in prelim stage
• Nvidia hasn't announced anything officially

When it comes to AI, Nvidia is one of the frontrunners in the race. In the last few months, we have heard ample reports about how much Nvidia's AI chips are in demand. Now, latest reports say that the tech giant is looking forward to partner with India and use its huge talent pool to develop a new AI chip.

According to a report in ET, Nvidia is looking to forge a partnership with India to create a new semiconductor chip tailored to the nation’s technological needs. As per the report, this initiative was discussed earlier this year between Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The collaboration aims to blend India’s robust semiconductor design skills with Nvidia’s cutting-edge technology to meet the increasing demands of the Indian tech market.


As Nvidia’s graphics processing unit (GPU) chips continue to play a crucial role in the AI revolution, the company’s valuation has skyrocketed, now standing as the second most valuable company globally. Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s union minister for electronics and IT, confirmed that discussions are underway, although they remain in the early stages.

He told ET, “Yes, we are discussing with Nvidia the development of an AI chip; discussions are at a preliminary stage.” Meanwhile, Nvidia has not said anything yet.

With around 19% of the world’s chip designers based in India—many working for renowned global firms—Nvidia is reportedly eager to leverage this rich talent pool. The partnership would focus on developing chips that cater to specific requirements within India, including AI-driven solutions for government initiatives, enhancements in infrastructure, and support for startups. Meanwhile, Huang is scheduled to visit India soon, marking his annual trip, during which he hopes to deepen ties with the nation.


The report added that the envisioned chip would be specifically tailored for Indian applications, potentially enhancing systems like the Kavach security initiative for Indian Railways. This collaboration aims to provide the government, startups, and various businesses with a chip that supports diverse applications in line with India’s AI mission. Currently, the government is working on details such as cost, benefits, and use cases related to this co-development effort.

If this chip collaboration materialises, Nvidia plans to design the core components in partnership with firms like Arm or AMD, while Indian entities, including the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and private firms, would handle the customisation of the top 10-20% of the chip design, the ET report added.