BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao on Sunday, 12 July 2026, announced he had inaugurated the India facility of Kandou AI in Hyderabad and held a fireside chat with the company's co-founder, Srujan Linga, a Telangana native. The Switzerland-headquartered semiconductor and AI infrastructure company, backed by $225 million in funding, has chosen Hyderabad as its India Chip Design headquarters, with over 150 engineers already working on next-generation AI infrastructure and semiconductor technologies at the site.

Context

Rama Rao described the inauguration as 'inspiring', noting that a global deep-tech company of Kandou AI's scale had selected Hyderabad as its chip design base in India. In his post, he called the decision 'yet another strong endorsement of Telangana's exceptional talent and innovation ecosystem.' He also shared a recording of the fireside conversation with Srujan Linga, co-founder of Kandou AI, who hails from Telangana.

Kandou AI specialises in high-speed connectivity and chip design solutions. Its decision to anchor India operations in Hyderabad adds a significant multinational name to the city's growing semiconductor design cluster.

Policy Backdrop

Telangana has actively cultivated a deep-tech investment environment since the state's formation in 2014, launching initiatives such as T-Hub to attract global technology firms and build a semiconductor design ecosystem. These efforts have run parallel to the central government's Semicon India programme and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, both aimed at developing domestic semiconductor capabilities and drawing foreign chip design companies into the country.

India's broader Atmanirbhar Bharat framework has encouraged states to compete for chip-design investments through talent incentives and infrastructure. Telangana has positioned itself alongside Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as a preferred destination for such firms, consistently highlighting its large engineering workforce.

Stakeholders and Impact

The immediate beneficiaries are the 150-plus semiconductor engineers already employed at the Hyderabad facility, who are engaged in building next-generation AI infrastructure. The centre also signals broader opportunity for chip designers and AI hardware specialists across Telangana and the wider region.

Kandou AI's arrival reflects a wider global trend of multinational semiconductor companies diversifying design operations into India amid supply-chain realignments. For Hyderabad, it reinforces the city's standing as a credible alternative to established chip-design hubs in the United States, Taiwan, and Europe.

What's Next

The inauguration is expected to add momentum to Telangana's pitch for further semiconductor and deep-tech investments under the central government's Semicon India mission. State officials and industry watchers will be monitoring whether additional facility expansions or new entrants follow in the near term.

With KTR continuing to champion Telangana's technology credentials from the opposition benches, the event also keeps the state's investment narrative active ahead of potential policy announcements at both the state and central levels.