Chennai-based fabless chip firm Aheesa Digital Innovations has signed an MoU with Guidance Tamil Nadu to set up a INR 250 crore semiconductor design, R&D and product engineering centre in the state capital.
The agreement was exchanged at the Vettri Tamil Nadu Investors’ Conference in the presence of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and is among the most prominent technology deals announced by the state this week.
Networking silicon at the core
The proposed facility is aimed at expanding Aheesa’s design, research and product engineering capabilities with a clear focus on networking silicon.
According to the company, the centre will work on networking chips for broadband, telecom and edge infrastructure, router operating systems, and OEM platforms tied to its own product portfolio.
Aheesa says the move will help it build a full stack of networking silicon that is developed, owned and engineered out of Chennai rather than licensed from overseas.
The project is expected to create more than 300 direct and indirect jobs as the company scales up its engineering teams in the city.
Policy push and state backing
Under the MoU, the Tamil Nadu government will facilitate land and infrastructure support through its agencies, single-window clearances for approvals, and access to standard policy incentives, subject to eligibility.
Guidance Tamil Nadu will act as the nodal agency to coordinate these enabling measures as Aheesa moves from MoU to ground implementation.
The company is already recognised under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme of the Semicon India programme and has been receiving grant and EDA tool support through the central government’s push for semiconductor design.
In 2026, Aheesa also secured investment from the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation via the Tamil Nadu Emerging Sector Seed Fund, underlining the state’s early backing of the startup.
Tamil Nadu’s widening chip and deep-tech push
The Aheesa deal comes as Tamil Nadu consolidates its position as one of India’s leading semiconductor design hubs.
Recent government data shows that 24 semiconductor design projects across Chennai and Coimbatore are receiving financial and EDA tool support under the DLI scheme, with firms such as Mindgrove Technologies and InCore Semiconductors also in the pipeline.
At the same investors’ conference, the state signed multiple MoUs in quantum computing and advanced hardware, including agreements with Quantum Integrated Machines, Quntrolsphere and TriQuanta Labs, signalling a broader push into deep-tech beyond traditional chip design.
Alongside these design-focused moves, the Union government has approved two Electronics Manufacturing Clusters in Tamil Nadu worth INR 1,012 crore at Manallur and Pillapaikkam, creating additional infrastructure for electronics and semiconductor-related manufacturing.
Aheesa’s roadmap
Aheesa Digital Innovations positions itself as a fabless semiconductor company building India-owned networking silicon.
Its “Vihaan” networking chip is described as an India-made product whose full research, design and ownership will now be anchored in Tamil Nadu.
With the new centre, the company aims to deepen its portfolio across broadband, telecom and edge segments while leveraging Chennai’s growing ecosystem of design talent, policy support and capital.
