Nasdaq-listed semiconductor solutions company Synaptics plans to double its workforce in India from 400 to 800 employees over the next two to three years, reinforcing its commitment to wireless and edge AI product development. According to CEO Michael Hurlston, India is central to Synaptics’ innovation strategy, with nearly 90% of its wireless products being developed in the country. Currently, about 93% of the Indian workforce is dedicated to R&D efforts, reflecting the company’s end-to-end development capabilities in algorithms, systems design, chip creation, and testing.
“India is critical for us in terms of being a development site. We are leveraging the talent here to develop our most leading-edge products that include wireless and edge AI processing,” Hurlston told FE in an interaction. “We are investing significantly in both people and infrastructure, including testing equipment, to support the development of these products,” he added.
He said that the company’s Indian R&D team undertakes complete product development. “Most companies develop certain components in India and connect them to the bigger architecture elsewhere. But at Synaptics India, we handle everything, from algorithms and systems design to chip development and testing,” Hurlston said.
This end-to-end model not only enhances the innovation output but also provides engineers with exposure to the entire product cycle.
Synaptics, which generated nearly $1 billion revenue in fiscal 2024, has also partnered with Indian companies to address domestic needs.
One such partnership is with embedUR in Tamil Nadu, contributing to the development of blood glucose monitors and smart utility meters for the Indian market. “These products are made in India, designed in India, and manufactured in India,” Hurlston said.
Although Synaptics does not qualify for the government’s PLI (production-linked incentive) or DLI (design-linked incentive) schemes due to its status as a foreign fabless company, the organisation actively collaborates with local partners to drive innovation tailored for India, he said.
“We are investing significantly in both people and infrastructure, including testing equipment, to support the development of these products,” Hurlston said.
Synaptics has also allocated substantial resources to test equipment and other infrastructure critical to the development of wireless semiconductors and edge AI processors. These microprocessors are designed to perform complex machine learning tasks efficiently, catering to the growing demand for AI solutions.
