Netrasemi, a Kerala-based semiconductor startup building system-on-chips (SoC), has raised INR 100 million in a Pre Series A round from Unicorn India Ventures to build Edge AI for IoT products.

Netrasemi, founded in 2020 by Jyothis Indirabhai, Sreejith Varma and Deepa Geetha, has designed three SoCs, namely Netra-R1000, Netra-A2000 and Netra-A4000. Built on an effective Netrasemi DSA (Domain Specific Architecture), all three chips are high-performance ML-capable devices using the company's unique graph-stream hardware acceleration architecture. Solution providers may create sophisticated ML and vision application use cases more quickly and easily with the help of Netrasemi processors. Targeting the surveillance, smart sensors, smart infrastructure, machine vision & industry 4.0, robotics, drones and autonomous vehicles segments, Netrasemi will market its SoCs to end-user verticals such as government, industrial, BFSI, transportation and others.

Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, said, “There are attractive opportunities in the Edge AI software market, and there is absolutely no denying that the AI industry has the potential to transform various sectors. The funding accelerates Netrasemi’s mission to deploy the solutions on a better scale. We believe Netrasemi will continue to sustain its momentum with its most powerful AI chip for edge devices and strengthen its position in this space. The company has witnessed remarkable progress in the last 12 months and has designed new solutions. Hence, we believe the market opportunity is huge and the company has built the right momentum to capitalise on this segment.”

Jyothis Indirabhai, Co-Founder, Netrasemi, said, “Netrasemi family of chips will be the first AI/ML SoCs from India for intelligent edge devices, with a full array of digital IPs inhouse developed. We not only own the chip but also own what goes inside. We are excited to be backed by Unicorn India Ventures and believe this funding will play a crucial step for us to fuel our continued expansion and success.”

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Pony.ai, a technology company, has announced a significant cost breakthrough in its autonomous vehicle roadmap at Auto China 2026.

The company expects the total cost of its 2027 Gen-7 Robotaxi – including the vehicle and the autonomous driving kit – to fall below RMB 230,000 (USD 33,000 / INR 2.74 million).

This price point is notably lower than the current starting price of a Tesla Model 3 in China, which it said signals a shift from experimental technology to economically viable infrastructure.

The company has transitioned from testing to scaling, citing a 70 percent reduction in bill-of-materials costs for its latest hardware. Key updates include:

• Fleet Expansion: Pony.ai's fleet has grown from 270 to over 1,400 vehicles, with a target of 3,000 units across 20 global cities by end-2026.
• Economic Breakeven: The company has achieved unit-economics breakeven in two major Southern Chinese economic hubs.
• Toyota Collaboration: The Gen-7 bZ4X Robotaxi has received on-road testing permits in Guangzhou, with plans to deploy 1,000 units in tier-one cities this year.

World’s First L4 autonomous light-duty truck

Furthermore, Pony.ai also expanded into urban logistics by unveiling an L4 electric light-duty truck developed in partnership with CATL.

Built on CATL’s Kunshi chassis, the e-truck features 100 percent automotive-grade redundancy across all critical systems (steering, braking and sensors). It is designed to reduce freight costs by 40 percent to 50 percent compared to human-driven transport. It features 18 cubic metres of cargo capacity and a range of 320–450 km, intended for supermarket restocking and cold-chain delivery.

Dr. Tiancheng Lou, CTO, Pony.ai, introduced PonyWorld 2.0, an upgraded proprietary world model. Unlike standard simulation tools, this system uses reinforcement learning to:

It can identify specific scenarios where the ‘Virtual Driver’ underperforms. It’s targeted learning approach guides data collection to improve model training efficiency. The technology enforces ‘fail-operational’ capabilities, ensuring the vehicle can safely pull over even during hardware failures.

Dr. James Peng, Founder and CEO, Pony.ai, said, “Today, the question is no longer whether Robotaxi can work. The focus is how to scale it safely, efficiently and at the right cost.”

With the launch of these new platforms, Pony.ai is leveraging a shared technology stack across both passenger mobility and urban logistics, creating economies of scale that allow for rapid deployment in both Chinese and overseas markets.

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JSW Motors, the new-energy vehicle arm of the JSW Group, and Tata Elxsi have entered a strategic alliance to establish JNEXT – the JSW NextGen Technology Center in Pune. This engineering hub is designed to support the development of software-defined, AI-powered mobility solutions as JSW Motors prepares its upcoming vehicle programmes for the Indian market.

Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Tata Elxsi will lead the end-to-end implementation of the Connected Vehicle Platform and a unified customer experience app.

This partnership covers the entire vehicle lifecycle, from conceptualisation and cloud integration to production and aftersales support. The collaboration is a key component of JSW Motors’ strategy to build a localised, technology-led ecosystem for electric and connected vehicles.

The JNEXT Center will leverage Tata Elxsi’s proprietary platforms, such as TETHER Auto, to deliver several advanced capabilities:

• Digital & Data Solutions: User experience (UX) design, cloud platforms, and over-the-air (OTA) update frameworks.
• Intelligent Systems: AI/ML analytics, 5G-enabled technology, digital twins, and cybersecurity.
• Immersive Tech: Location-based services and AR/VR/XR integration to enhance the customer ownership experience.
• Architecture: Software-defined vehicle architectures, predictive maintenance diagnostics and functional safety frameworks aligned with global standards.

Ranjan Nayak, CEO, JSW Motors, said, “Tata Elxsi's proven expertise across software-defined vehicles, ADAS, electrification, and digital engineering will help us accelerate development timelines and raise the bar on quality, safety, and innovation. This partnership is a step forward in our commitment to indigenisation, delivering world-class vehicles for Indian customers.”

Manoj Raghavan, MD & CEO, Tata Elxsi, added, “The future of mobility will be increasingly connected and software-defined, where vehicles continuously evolve through software, data, and intelligent systems. The JNEXT – JSW NextGen Technology Center will be instrumental in translating this into real-world mobility solutions across vehicle programmes.”

The establishment of this hub in Pune positions both companies at the forefront of India's shift toward intelligent, new-energy mobility, combining JSW's industrial manufacturing scale with Tata Elxsi’s software and design engineering expertise.

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Schaeffler and VinDynamics, a subsidiary of the Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, have entered a strategic partnership to develop and supply planetary gearboxes for humanoid robotics.

This agreement marks Schaeffler’s first collaboration with a humanoid robot manufacturer in the Asia/Pacific region, expanding a global network that already includes partners in Europe, China and the US.

The collaboration focuses on planetary gearboxes, which are components of the actuators that serve as the joints and muscles for humanoid robots. These gearboxes provide the torque density and efficiency required for robots to perform movements. Beyond hardware supply, the two organisations will gather data on robot performance and application. This data will be utilised to refine actuator design and develop services such as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.

Maximilian Fiedler, Regional CEO – Asia/Pacific, Schaeffler AG, said, "VinDynamics is an inspiring technology partner with a clear and ambitious vision for humanoid robotics. Our collaboration underscores Schaeffler's commitment to working alongside pioneering innovators to advance the next generation of motion technologies. By integrating Schaeffler's decades of expertise in actuator and drive technologies with VinDynamics' capabilities in developing next-generation robotic systems, we are confident that this partnership will deliver significant technological advancements."

La Manh Hung, President, VinDynamics, added, "This partnership represents not only a convergence of technological capabilities but also a strategic alignment of vision, as both organisations are committed to shaping the future of humanoid robotics. We believe that by combining our respective strengths, this collaboration will unlock transformative opportunities and accelerate the transition of humanoid robots from research environments to impactful real-world applications across both industrial and everyday settings."

Schaeffler is applying technology from its existing product families to the robotics sector. The planetary gearboxes are engineered for a compact footprint while enabling the precise and energy-efficient movement necessary for robot joints to function in real-world environments.

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Rocklink India has officially inaugurated its first integrated recycling facility at the UPSIDC Industrial Area in Sikandrabad, Uttar Pradesh. This site marks a major step in establishing a domestic circular economy for critical minerals, specifically targeting the burgeoning electric mobility and renewable energy sectors in India.

The plant is designed to handle a wide variety of inputs, including 95 different types of pre- and post-consumer battery scrap, as well as complex permanent magnet alloys such as NdFeB, SmCo and AlNiCo.

The facility utilises Rocklink’s proprietary R2 technology, which focuses on high recovery efficiency while maintaining stringent environmental safety standards. It features an initial lithium-ion battery recycling capacity of 10,000 tonnes per year, capable of producing high-purity black mass.

Additionally, the site manages rare earth magnet dismantling and processing at a rate of 60 tonnes per month. To further enhance its capabilities, the company expects to complete its rare earth chloride processing line – which has a production capacity of 1,500 tonnes per year – in the first quarter of 2026, utilising a 22-meter direct-heated rotary kiln for the safe calcination of metal-bearing industrial waste.

Beyond material recovery, the facility aims to achieve over 98 percent recovery efficiency for key metals including aluminium, copper and iron.

Rocklink India also plans to integrate battery refurbishment operations, enabling the safe reuse of viable battery cells through international standards for testing and balancing to extend resource efficiency.

To support these operations, the company is expanding its Magcycle reverse logistics model and a ‘Know Your Material’ (KYM) approach to ensure structured collection and accurate material grading. Through collaborations with technology startups and research institutions, Rocklink aims to advance dismantling automation and strengthen India's domestic supply chains for critical raw materials.

Leonard Alexander Ansorge, Director, Rocklink India, said, “The establishment of this facility marks an important step in building advanced recycling infrastructure for critical materials in India. With capabilities to process lithium-ion batteries and rare earth magnets, we aim to support the development of a circular ecosystem for critical raw materials that are essential to electric mobility, renewable energy systems, and advanced manufacturing.”

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