Kairali AI Chip Developers Reject Allegations

• Developers of Kerala’s first silicon-proven AI chip, Kairali AI Chip, maintain the project is an academic research initiative, not a commercial product.

• The chip’s design was not disclosed, lacked patents, and had not been commercially validated.

• The Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC) raised concerns about lack of transparency and misuse of public funds.

• The chip development was not officially communicated to the Central government, despite the Centre’s investment in India’s semiconductor ecosystem.

• The first prototype was developed by Master’s and PhD students and validated through multiple reviews under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) Chip to Startup (C2S) programme.

• The research team led by Professor Alex James carried out modular tape-outs, published research, and provided real-world chip design training.