Bengaluru: British semiconductor company Graphcore, a subsidiary of SoftBank Group, has announced plans to establish a new AI engineering campus in Bengaluru, with an investment of up to £1 billion over the next 10 years. The centre is expected to create 500 semiconductor jobs, focusing on developing cutting-edge AI computing solutions.
Focus on advanced AI semiconductor development
The Bengaluru engineering campus will be a core hub for building advanced AI processors, contributing to SoftBank’s broader vision of becoming a leading artificial superintelligence platform provider. Recruitment for the first 100 AI semiconductor engineering roles has already begun, covering positions in silicon logical design, physical design, verification, characterization, and chip bring-up.
Graphcore co-founder and CEO Nigel Toon emphasised that the Indian team will be an integral part of the product development process, taking full ownership of the roadmap. “We want this to be a parallel team taking full ownership of the products on the roadmap. I see this much more as an integral part of the development team inside Graphcore that builds complete products and manages delivery,” Toon told TOI.
While the software team will remain in the UK, the Bengaluru centre will primarily focus on silicon roles, with the potential to expand into other critical areas as the campus grows.
Global AI applications and innovation
The engineers at the Bengaluru centre will develop semiconductor products for global AI applications, including drug discovery, public health, sustainability, and business productivity. Toon highlighted the technical sophistication of the work, stating, “We’re building at 2nm and 3nm, the most advanced technology process cores with custom cells. This is absolutely leading-edge development.”
He added that the company is looking for the best talent in front-end design, physical design, and complex multi-chip systems to help achieve the mission of building the world’s most advanced AI processors.
SoftBank’s India strategy
Since acquiring Graphcore last year, SoftBank has positioned the company as part of major AI infrastructure initiatives, including the $500 billion Stargate project with OpenAI and Oracle. SoftBank has invested over $12 billion in India across its portfolio companies over the past decade, highlighting India’s growing role in the global technology landscape.
When asked about moving India from an offshore development centre to a high-value innovation hub, Toon said, “Developing very high-performance chips requires constant collaboration between architecture and implementation. Engaging engineers in this holistic process helps them build advanced skills and capabilities.”
Conclusion
Graphcore’s Bengaluru campus represents a significant milestone for AI semiconductor development in India, combining substantial investment with advanced technology roles. The initiative will not only create hundreds of high-skilled jobs but also strengthen India’s position in the global AI and semiconductor ecosystem.