Signalchip Shows JEET, an Indian-Designed RISC-V Microcontroller With Its Own DSP, at ESTIC 2026

Among the hundreds of exhibits at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 in New Delhi, one small chip carried an outsized message. Signalchip, the Bengaluru semiconductor design company, showed JEET, a microcontroller unit also known by its part number SCMC4212, as an example of domestic chip design for everyday electronics.

The chip was displayed at the conclave's deep-tech exhibition at Bharat Mandapam, which ran from October 27 to 29 and featured 50 selected start-ups alongside government departments. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh toured the exhibition and used the visit to argue for tighter links between start-ups and industry so that indigenous technologies reach the market.

What JEET is

According to reports from the exhibition, JEET pairs two home-grown processor cores:

• Yati, a 32-bit RISC-V central processing unit, and
• Avarta, a 32-bit digital signal processor (DSP).

The chip also integrates memory, power management and other functions in a compact design. Signalchip is pitching it at robotics, industrial automation, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and flight-control systems, applications where a microcontroller must both run control software and process sensor signals in real time.

That CPU-plus-DSP combination is the interesting part. Many low-cost microcontrollers rely on a single general-purpose core. Adding a dedicated DSP lets a chip handle motor control, audio, radio or sensor-fusion workloads more efficiently, which is exactly what drones, robots and industrial controllers need.

The accessible exhibition report does not give clock speed, memory size, pricing or availability, so it is too early to compare JEET directly with established parts.

Why a microcontroller matters

Microcontrollers are the least glamorous and most numerous chips in the world. They sit inside washing machines, electricity meters, car subsystems, drones and factory equipment, and most of those used in India are imported. Building fabs gets the headlines, but owning the design of the chips that go into those products is where a country captures intellectual property and control over its supply chain.

RISC-V is central to that strategy. Because the instruction-set architecture is open, Indian designers can build processors without paying licence fees to foreign owners of proprietary architectures, while implementation tools, manufacturing and other intellectual property can still introduce dependencies. India's government has backed RISC-V through programmes such as the SHAKTI processors from IIT Madras and C-DAC's VEGA processors. JEET adds a commercial company's product to that ecosystem, with its own named CPU and DSP cores.

For defence and drone makers in particular, an Indian-designed flight-control microcontroller is attractive. Military buyers increasingly ask where every component comes from, and an indigenous control chip reduces dependence on imported parts that can be restricted.

Signalchip’s official website identifies it as a fabless semiconductor company established in 2010, with wireless baseband and radio-frequency chipset products. That history provides context but does not establish JEET’s commercial availability.

ESTIC's commercialisation push

DRDO also used ESTIC to show indigenous semiconductor technologies and lead a session on next-generation chips, underlining that the government sees chip design as a strategic capability rather than a niche.

What to watch

The test for JEET will be commercial: published datasheets, development boards for engineers, pricing that competes with imported microcontrollers, and design wins in Indian drones, robots and industrial equipment. If those follow, a chip that drew attention at a government exhibition could move from an exhibition showcase into commercial products.

Sources

• https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/dr-jitendra-visits-estic-2026-exhibition-reaffirms-government-facilitation-to-link-startups-with-industry
• https://mumbaitribune.in/2026/10/29/estic-2026-showcases-50-deep-tech-startups-highlights-push-to-commercialise-indigenous-technologies/
• https://chartforest.com/startup-industry-linkages-estic-2026/
• https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/prime-minister-narendra-modi-inaugurates-emerging-science-technology-and-innovation-conclave-202620261028124655
• https://www.gktoday.in/signalchip-launchs-india-s-first-indigenous-semiconductor-chips-for-4g-lte-and-5g-nr-modems/
• https://www.domain-b.com/technology/electronics/20190227_signalchip.html
• https://ddnews.gov.in/en/drdo-showcases-indigenous-semiconductor-technologies-leads-session-on-next-generation-chips-at-estic-2026/