TDB backs BigEndian Semiconductors' Project VeerAI with ₹130 crore from RDI Fund for indigenous AI Vision chip
On 5 October 2026, the Technology Development Board (DST) signed an agreement to give ₹130 crore under the RDI Fund to Bengaluru-based BigEndian Semiconductors for Project VeerAI, an indigenous AI Vision System-on-Chip for CCTV and surveillance.
Summary
The Technology Development Board (TDB) of the Department of Science and Technology signed an agreement on 5 October 2026 with BigEndian Semiconductors, Bengaluru, for ₹130 crore of support under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. The support for Project VeerAI, which has a total cost of ₹260 crore, will be given as Optional Convertible Debt. The project will develop a camera-focused AI Vision System-on-Chip (SoC) for secure CCTV and surveillance use and take the technology from Technology Readiness Level 5 to TRL-9. The chip is planned first for India and the Global South, with later uses in defence, automotive, industrial and medical sectors.
Key facts
- Project
- Project VeerAI
- Company
- BigEndian Semiconductors, Bengaluru, Karnataka
- Funding body
- Technology Development Board (TDB), DST
- Support
- ₹130 crore under RDI Fund
- Instrument
- Optional Convertible Debt (OCD)
- Total project cost
- ₹260 crore
- Product
- AI Vision System-on-Chip (SoC) for CCTV/surveillance
- Technology readiness
- TRL-5 to TRL-9
Practice MCQs 1 questions
Project VeerAI, supported in October 2026 by the Technology Development Board under the RDI Fund, aims to develop:
Show answer
Correct answer: A — An AI Vision System-on-Chip for CCTV and surveillance