AGNIT Secures $2.6 Mn Seed Extension

IISC-incubated AGNIT Semiconductors has secured a $ 2.6 million seed extension, the company said.

AGNITE Semiconductors is "India’s first vertically integrated gallium nitride (GaN)" startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

The company said it has secured the $2.6 million seed extension to scale a technology (GaN) that is increasingly viewed as the successor to silicon in high power and high frequency applications.

The recent funding round led by Shastra VC with participation from J14 Capital and Zephyr Peacock underscores a growing maturity in the Indian venture capital ecosystem,company Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hareesh Chandrasekar said.

According to the company, GaN is a critical enabler. For instance, electric vehicles (EVs) can replace fossil fuels only if they overcome "range anxiety" and slow charging times.

"This is where GaN comes in," Chandrasekar said.

Highlighting the tangible impact on everyday technology, Chandrasekar noted that while a standard GaN-based fast charger is about 96 to 97% efficient, earlier silicon-based versions hovered around 91 to 93%.

"That 4-5% increase in efficiency on a population scale gives rise to enormous savings in terms of electricity and energy, to say nothing about the CO2 emissions that are saved. This is going to play out across sectors," he told PTI.

GaN chips allow for smaller, more efficient power electronics, which are vital for the next generation of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems.

It represents a fundamental shift in material science, offering the ability to handle significantly higher levels of power and radio frequency loads with greater efficiency than traditional silicon chips, Chandrasekar reiterated.

IISc has been exploring GaN for nearly 20 years, beginning 2006, Chandrasekar said.