InCore Semiconductor Launches RISC-V IP Licensing from IIT Madras Spinout

InCore Semiconductor Turns SHAKTI Research into Commercial RISC-V IP

InCore Semiconductor, the commercial spinout from IIT Madras's long-running SHAKTI open-source processor project, has formally launched its commercial IP licensing business built around its Azurite and Calcite RISC-V processor cores. The company, incorporated in 2018, has spent several years in the gap between academic research and commercial product, hardening its cores through silicon tape-outs, developing a complete software ecosystem, and building a small but experienced business development team. The licensing launch marks InCore's transition into the IP business proper, where it will compete for design wins at Indian and global SoC companies seeking RISC-V processor cores as alternatives to Arm's Cortex series.

Azurite and Calcite Core Families

The Azurite core family targets low-power microcontroller-class applications including IoT sensors, wearable electronics, motor controllers, and embedded systems requiring minimal silicon area and sub-milliwatt active power. Azurite implements the RV32IMC RISC-V instruction set and supports optional hardware security extensions relevant for connected device authentication. The Calcite family steps up to Linux-capable application processor territory, implementing RV64GC with memory management unit support, multi-core configurations, and cache hierarchies suited for industrial gateways, automotive telematics units, and mid-range digital signal processing applications. Both families are silicon-proven, meaning InCore has successfully taped out and tested physical chips using these cores, which significantly de-risks adoption by licensing customers relative to using an unproven paper design.

RISC-V Market Dynamics and InCore's Positioning

The global RISC-V IP market has expanded rapidly as semiconductor companies seek to reduce royalty costs and customise processor architectures for specific applications without Arm's licensing restrictions. Major SoC designers including SiFive, Andes Technology, and RISC-V International members have built commercial ecosystems around RISC-V, but Indian-origin IP options have been limited. InCore's IIT Madras provenance gives it credibility with Indian defence and government chip programmes that require domestic IP sourcing. Commercially, InCore is targeting price points meaningfully below Arm's licensing fees for comparable performance tiers, making it attractive to cost-sensitive startup chip designers and Indian SoC programmes with limited IP budgets.

Software Ecosystem and Customer Support Model

A processor core without software support is of limited value to SoC designers, and InCore has invested significantly in building out its software deliverables. Licensing customers receive GCC and LLVM compiler toolchains validated against the specific core configuration, a basic hardware abstraction layer, Linux board support packages for the Calcite family, and RTL simulation models compatible with major EDA tool flows from Synopsys and Cadence. InCore supports customers through a combination of on-site engagements, online technical support, and a developer community forum. The company plans to expand its licensing team and deepen its EDA tool partnership ecosystem through 2026 as initial customer design programmes move from evaluation into tape-out phases.