Bengaluru-based semiconductor startup Calligo Technologies has secured $1.1 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by Seafund and Artha Venture Fund. With this capital, the startup will accelerate research and development (R&D), scale its engineering team, and advance its revolutionary POSIT-based silicon chips for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.
Founded by Anantha Kinnal, Rajaraman Subramanian, and Vinay N Hebbali, Calligo Technologies builds cutting-edge solutions that address the growing demand for performance and efficiency in compute-heavy industries. The startup designs silicon and system-level products that solve real bottlenecks in large-scale simulations and AI model training—two of the fastest-growing segments in global computing.
Solving the Real Bottlenecks in AI and HPC
Modern computing continues to struggle under the weight of exponential growth in data, model complexity, and simulation requirements. Companies and researchers often respond to performance limitations by scaling up infrastructure—adding more CPUs, GPUs, and memory. However, this brute-force approach overlooks the inefficiencies embedded at the fundamental level of data representation and compute operations.
Calligo Technologies addresses this problem by implementing the POSIT number system in silicon. POSIT, a breakthrough in real-number representation, dramatically improves computing accuracy and dynamic range while consuming fewer bits and significantly less energy than traditional IEEE floating-point arithmetic.
“Insatiable demand for computing for HPC/AI has thus far been addressed by adding more and more hardware, without addressing computing efficiency at grass-root levels,” said Anantha Kinnal, one of the co-founders. “POSIT is a game-changing invention for real-number representation. It enables the use of fewer computing bits for the same or improved mathematical accuracy, higher energy efficiency, and an increase in dynamic range.”
By developing native silicon that supports POSIT operations, Calligo has built chips and platforms that elevate computing performance while drastically lowering power consumption—a key concern in today’s data centers and supercomputing environments.
Product Progress and Commercial Milestones
Over the past 12 months, CalligoTech achieved critical milestones in product development and market outreach. The team designed and built an accelerator board powered by its flagship product, Silicon TUNGA—an octacore RISC-V CPU tightly integrated with POSIT computing capabilities.
This board plugs directly into x86, ARM, and PowerPC-based servers, allowing researchers and developers to experience the advantages of POSIT-based acceleration without overhauling their existing infrastructure. The startup completed first-pass silicon for its version 1.0 chip and has already started shipping the accelerator board to early adopters.
Kinnal highlighted the innovation behind this progress: “Combining Posits with RISC-V, our current version of Silicon TUNGA powers our accelerator card that can be added to any X86/ARM/PowerPC-based servers. This is already enabling researchers worldwide to realize the usefulness of Posit-based computing.”
CalligoTech has also modified popular compilers—C, C++, Fortran, and Python—along with essential HPC and AI frameworks to support POSIT operations natively. With these tools in place, users can generate POSIT-enabled executables without rewriting application code, which streamlines the onboarding process and reduces development friction.
Preparing for Next-Gen Silicon and Scaling Operations
Calligo Technologies will now channel the newly raised funds into developing version 2.0 of its System-on-Chip (SoC). This next iteration will feature improved performance, scalability, and power optimization and will enter the tapeout stage for high-volume manufacturing within 12 to 18 months.
To support this effort, the company plans to expand its engineering talent pool and boost internal R&D capabilities. Calligo will also form strategic alliances with global System Integrators (SIs), Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs), and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to integrate its silicon into a wide range of computing platforms.
In addition, the startup has already started laying the groundwork for international expansion. Over the last year, Calligo collaborated with universities, national laboratories, and supercomputing centers in the United States. These partnerships have helped the company access global research talent, validate its technology in real-world HPC scenarios, and soft launch its operations in the U.S. market.
Investor Confidence in Game-Changing Innovation
Investors have expressed strong belief in Calligo’s potential to reshape how the world approaches computing efficiency.
“Compute requirement is growing exponentially across the globe,” said Narendra Bhandari, General Partner at Seafund. “CalligoTech chips and platform improve performance and reduce data power consumption with their innovative approach. They have completed the full chip cycle from design to products in v1.0 and are accelerating to tapeout the next-gen silicon.”
Artha Venture Fund also believes that POSIT-based computing will become a standard in data-intensive industries. “With AI and HPC workloads growing exponentially, computing efficiency is more critical than ever,” said Anirudh A Damani, Managing Partner at Artha. “Calligo’s POSIT-based chips solve fundamental performance bottlenecks, enabling faster, more precise, and power-efficient computing at scale. As demand for large-scale modeling and AI training surges, we see POSIT as a game-changing innovation.”
These investments signal strong institutional confidence in the company’s ability to compete with global chipmakers and carve out a niche in one of the world’s most competitive industries.
Industry Outlook and Growth Potential
India’s semiconductor sector continues to attract international attention and significant investments. According to Custom Market Insights, India’s semiconductor market reached a value of $6.67 billion in 2024. Analysts expect the market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1%, reaching $14.09 billion by 2032.
With increasing digitalization, 5G deployment, and AI adoption across industries, the demand for specialized chips—especially those targeting efficiency and performance—will only rise. Calligo Technologies stands at the forefront of this transformation with a product built specifically for modern workloads.
Furthermore, the global push toward sovereign semiconductor ecosystems, RISC-V adoption, and power-efficient computing bodes well for Calligo’s strategy. By aligning its product roadmap with open architectures and energy-aware innovation, the company is creating chips that fit both domestic and international priorities.
A Vision for Computing Without Compromise
Calligo Technologies envisions a world where computing performance no longer relies solely on brute-force hardware scaling. Instead, the company promotes fundamental improvements at the architecture and data representation levels. Its POSIT-based silicon products offer a viable and scalable path to that vision.
By solving challenges in HPC, AI, and Big Data computing, Calligo delivers tangible benefits: faster simulations, lower energy bills, reduced hardware footprints, and accurate model outputs. These advantages directly impact industries such as climate science, genomics, national security, autonomous driving, and industrial AI.
As the startup prepares to release version 2.0 of its chip, it continues to engage with early adopters, academic collaborators, and government labs—laying the groundwork for rapid adoption and long-term impact.
Conclusion
Calligo Technologies has positioned itself as a bold innovator in the semiconductor industry. With $1.1 million in new funding from Seafund and Artha Venture Fund, the startup will accelerate the development of its next-generation POSIT-enabled silicon and expand its market reach. Founders Anantha Kinnal, Rajaraman Subramanian, and Vinay N Hebbali continue to steer the company toward a future where computing becomes more efficient, precise, and accessible.
As the demand for performance and energy efficiency grows worldwide, Calligo Technologies stands ready to deliver chips that redefine what modern computing can achieve.