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In today’s newsletter:

• Now, HCL Group-Foxconn to make chips
• When AI meets payments at Razorpay
• From classrooms to clinics: Karan Bajaj scripts comeback

P.S.: Introducing the Tech3 Podcast, your daily dose of tech and startup insights. Monday to Friday! Check it out on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

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India just added another chip to its growing semiconductor stack.

The Union Cabinet has approved the Rs 3,706 crore HCL-Foxconn semiconductor joint venture, the sixth major semiconductor project of the country.

• The plant will be set up near Jewar airport, within the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) region.

• It will manufacture display chips used in smartphones, laptops, automobiles etc.

• The facility will develop 20,000 wafers per month, translating to 36 million chips monthly. Production is slated to begin by 2027.

HCL will bring its legacy in hardware manufacturing, and Foxconn adds international heft and scale.

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this will also help Foxconn meet global demand.

“Once this display driver gets properly done here, the display panel will also come to India,” Vaishnaw noted.

Apart from the plant announced today, these are the other five projects:

• Micron – ATMP facility, Sanand, Gujarat

• Tata Electronics + PSMC (Taiwan) – Fab, Dholera, Gujarat

• Tata Semiconductor ATMP – Morigaon, Assam

• CG Power + Renesas (Japan) + Stars Microelectronics (Thailand) – Sanand, Gujarat

• Kaynes Semicon – Sanand, Gujarat

India will also unveil a prototype of its indigenous graphics processing unit (GPU) by the end of this year, sources tell us.

• While the core of the chip is being indigenously made, the government is open to collaborations for developing the chip fully.

Go deeper

What happens when generative AI meets digital payments? Razorpay offers a glimpse with its newest solution

Razorpay recently started allowing merchants to generate payment links or manage customer refunds through a simple natural language query using AI agents.

• The time it took to build this out with all necessary audits? Less than three days!

• And how many engineers worked on the project? Three!

This solution gives a peek into the future of software development and the impact AI can have on it and testing.

• Razorpay stated that AI helped the company at every stage including development, testing, security audit and the compliance audits

The product was built on the model context protocol (MCP) server, which can invoke Razorpay’s existing capabilities.

• MCP acts as a protocol that enables different AI agents to communicate with each other and with various applications, streamlining complex integrations and workflows.

Merchants no longer need engineering expertise or have to figure out how to link various systems or locate a specific product on the dashboard.

• For instance, they can ask the AI agent which payment method had the highest success rate in the past hour and redirect payments through that method

Go deeper

From WhiteHat to white coats – Karan Bajaj is scripting a whole new chapter in care with Complement 1.

Bajaj’s new gig? Coaching cancer care to a healthier outcome.

• Complement 1 has raised $16 million in seed funding led by Owl Ventures and Blume Ventures, with backing from several healthcare-focused angels

The funds will be used to expand operations in the US and enhance the AI engine that powers the platform’s personalisation, the company said.

• Complement 1 combines tech with human-led “CoActive Coaching” to deliver daily, tailored guidance for cancer patients.

This startup's prescription? A dose of tech with a shot of empathy

Complement 1’s system personalises routines based on cancer type, treatment stage and patient preferences, using clinical guidelines.

• It also claims to cut cancer-related healthcare costs by up to 30% for insurers and employers

Edtech founders are stepping out of the classroom and into new ventures, swapping lesson plans for startup blueprints.

• Bajaj is juggling Complement 1 alongside Leap 300, his second venture launched in March 2023 after exiting WhiteHat Jr.

• In a similar shift, UpGrad co-founder Mayank Kumar launched Borderplus, a cross-border talent platform, which recently raised $7 million and acquired German healthcare firm Onea Care.

P.S. Karan Bajaj's first startup left a trail of controversies. Here’s hoping his second attempt doesn’t follow the same chaotic path.

Dig deeper

• DeepSeek’s sudden emergence illustrates how China’s industry is thriving despite Washington’s efforts to slow it down.

• Google is expanding its AI assistant Gemini beyond smartphones to Android devices such as smartwatches, televisions, cars, and the upcoming Android XR devices.

CoComelon, the YouTube phenomenon beloved by kids, is jumping from the small screen to the big screen.

A theatrical movie is in the works, developed in part by DreamWorks Animation. It will follow JJ and his friends on the big screen for a new adventure, the company says.

The movie is expected to be released by Universal Pictures in 2027. Read more

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