NVIDIA and Qualcomm Join Global Push to Fund India’s Deep Tech Startups

In Focus

• Global investors unite to boost India’s deep tech startups funding
• NVIDIA Qualcomm India alliance to drive AI and semiconductor innovation
• India’s $12 billion RDI plan powers deep-tech investment growth
• New alliance positions India as a rising deep-tech hub
• Global Tech Giants Back India’s Deep-Tech Vision

In a major boost for the India deep tech startups funding ecosystem, NVIDIA and Qualcomm Ventures have joined a new cross-border coalition called the India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA). According to TechCrunch, the initiative aims to nurture India’s next generation of deep-tech ventures.

Launched in September 2025, the IDTA brings together U.S. and Indian venture capital firms with a collective commitment exceeding $1 billion. The alliance intends to support deep-tech startups developing infrastructure-scale innovations in areas such as quantum computing, space technology, AI hardware, biotechnology, and advanced materials.

Strategic Collaboration for Emerging Technologies

NVIDIA joins the alliance as a strategic technical advisor, offering mentorship and ecosystem access without a direct financial commitment. Qualcomm Ventures, the venture capital arm of Qualcomm, will contribute through capital investments and partnership support, signaling growing U.S. corporate interest in India’s deep-tech market. Recently, in a high-profile address at its Washington, D.C., developer event, NVIDIA Corporation CEO Jensen Huang announced that the company will build seven new supercomputers for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), marking a significant push into national-scale infrastructure.

Rama Iyer, a founding member of the alliance, stated, “There’s no obligation, no allocation. If Rama finds a deal, he will do it.” This approach underscores the alliance’s flexible and opportunity-driven investment model rather than a centralized fund.

The India Deep Tech Alliance US Indian VCs consortium aligns with the Indian government’s ₹1 trillion ($12 billion) Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) scheme, designed to advance key strategic sectors. According to TechCrunch, this synergy between public and private sectors is expected to stimulate long-term capital inflows and expertise exchange.

Key priorities of the alliance include

• Facilitating access to global research networks and industrial partnerships
• Providing technical mentorship from corporations such as NVIDIA and Qualcomm
• Promoting cross-border collaboration for Indian startup deep tech investment
• Strengthening supply chains and hardware development capabilities in India

Deep-Tech Funding Gains Long-Term Focus

While India is already home to more than 180,000 startups and 120 unicorns, the majority of these companies have traditionally operated in consumer technology and SaaS. The new alliance seeks to diversify India’s innovation economy by steering focus toward what is the new deep-tech funding push in India: longer-horizon ventures that combine scientific research with commercial viability. Earlier this year, NVIDIA ordered 300,000 H20 chipsets from the chip manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

Building the Next Global Innovation Hub

The entry of global leaders like NVIDIA and Qualcomm into India’s deep-tech ecosystem marks a turning point for India’s deep-tech startup funding. The collaboration reflects how India’s maturing innovation ecosystem is increasingly viewed as a viable hub for advanced technological research and commercialization.

For policymakers and investors, the alliance underscores a structural shift toward high-complexity, research-driven innovation that aligns with India’s ambitions to achieve technological self-reliance and export competitiveness.
As the NVIDIA-Qualcomm India alliance and venture capital networks scale their collaboration, India’s potential to emerge as a leading global deep-tech center appears stronger than ever.