When the automotive giant Ola launched its AI arm Krutrim last year, the tech world tipped its hat to a bold promise: the production of India’s first AI‑focused semiconductor by 2026. But a series of high‑profile departures from Krutrim’s chip‑design crew has recently stirred uncertainty. In this post we dig into why these exits matter, what they signal for the company’s chip ambitions, and how the broader Indian semiconductor ecosystem may feel the ripple. Who Is Krutrim and Why the AI Chip Buzz? Krutrim – a name that’s become almost synonymous with AI in India – is the research‑and‑development arm of Ola’s super‑wide‑scale AI division. Its chief aim has been two‑fold: to empower Ola’s autonomous‑driving initiative and to create AI chips that can run complex neural‑network workloads efficiently, without draining battery life. The company’s flagship project, the Bodhi 1 chip, is slated for a 2026 launch, a milestone that would place Krutrim among the very few Indian players targe...