Custom chips, real-world systems: IIIT-H group builds electronics beyond silicon
HYDERABAD: Amid India’s push to expand its semiconductor ecosystem, a research group at the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad is working on a less visible but foundational layer — electronics that connect silicon to real-world systems.
The Integrated Circuits Inspired by Wireless and Biomedical Systems (IC-WiBES) group, led by Prof Abhishek Srivastava, designs application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and builds complete systems around them. Instead of treating chip design, signal processing and applications as separate domains, the team integrates all three. It also refines hardware continuously based on field feedback.
“For strategic areas like healthcare or critical infrastructure, generic hardware can become a bottleneck,” Srivastava said. “We design custom chips where they matter most.”
Focus on Custom Semiconductor Design
The IC-WiBES group concentrates on designing specialised chips for critical applications. The approach ensures that hardware supports system-level intelligence rather than limiting it.
The lab has completed its first fully in-house chip tape-out. It also participates in international semiconductor design programmes. These efforts align with India’s broader semiconductor ambitions.
Advancing Millimetre-Wave Radar Sensing
One of the group’s key focus areas is millimetre-wave radar sensing. Unlike cameras, certain radar systems can function in fog, rain and low-light conditions. They return distinct signal signatures instead of visual images.
The lab has developed contactless systems that measure heart rate and breathing. These measurements rely on subtle radar reflections from the human body. Clinical trials are currently under way in hospital settings to validate the technology.
Applications in Road Safety and Monitoring
The same radar technology is being tested for road monitoring. The system can detect vehicles and pedestrians even in poor visibility. According to the team, it does so without raising surveillance concerns linked to camera-based systems.
When deployed in real environments, the systems may encounter signal noise or interference. The team feeds such inputs back into new chip designs. This process has led to programmable radar generators and low-noise circuits tailored to specific needs.
Building High-Frequency Capabilities
The lab operates a high-frequency measurement setup of up to 44 GHz. Only a handful of institutions in India have similar facilities.
“Our students learn how circuit constraints shape system intelligence,” Srivastava said. The group aims to train engineers who understand the full electronics stack. Its work now sits at the intersection of chip design and public systems, where hardware choices influence how technology serves society.
