Aiming to build end-to-end IoT capabilities from silicon to cloud, the company’s shift reflects a broader question for India’s electronics sector: can deeper control over hardware design help close the long-standing design-to-commercialization gap?
In a decisive shift that could redefine India’s role in the global connected devices landscape, Sasken Technologies is quietly executing one of the most ambitious pivots in the country’s product engineering space moving beyond software services to become a full-stack, AI-driven IoT powerhouse.
At the heart of this transformation lies the integration of Borqs Technologies , a carrier-grade ODM with deep roots in global telecom ecosystems. But this isn’t merely an acquisition. It’s a structural reset, a calculated move to reclaim device design, embedded systems depth, and silicon-linked engineering for India.
For decades, India has been celebrated as a software superpower. Yet when it comes to hardware-led IoT innovation, much of the design gravity has remained outside its borders. Sasken’s new blueprint challenges that status quo.
“We don’t want to stop at middleware or cloud APIs. We want ownership from silicon bring-up to cloud orchestration,” said Hareesh Ramana, Chief Experience Officer and President at Borqs Technologies, in an extensive interaction with Electronics For You. His journey from avionics programs linked to the HAL Tejas to global telecom infrastructure leadership at Motorola reflects the embedded DNA now driving Sasken’s roadmap.
Unlike traditional IT firms, the merged entity now claims end-to-end lifecycle control:
- Silicon and chipset integration
- Kernel and BSP bring-up
- RF, camera, and audio tuning
- Android middleware and UI frameworks
- Cloud telemetry and device management
- Enterprise support extending up to nine years
Its Bengaluru lab equipped for full RF development and certification-grade testing positions it among the rare Indian facilities capable of delivering carrier-compliant 5G and Wi-Fi 6/7 devices entirely from India.The portfolio spans rugged first-responder devices, carrier-branded smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, CPEs, smart energy systems, and even sub-meter precision tracking devices. But the real disruption lies elsewhere.
Sasken isn’t packaging AI as a service vertical. Instead, it’s embedding AI horizontally across engineering workflows from PCB design optimization and predictive debugging to AI-assisted code validation and telemetry-driven defect resolution.Internal productivity metrics reportedly show up to 3x efficiency gains without shrinking project scope. In fact, the opposite is happening expanded engagements.“AI will multiply embedded engineering. It won’t replace it,” Ramana hinted.That statement carries weight in a market anxious about automation.
India’s electronics manufacturing output has grown nearly sixfold in a decade. Yet the design-to-commercialization gap persists. Automotive TCUs, IVI systems, and advanced IoT modules often rely on overseas debug cycles.Sasken’s leadership argues that without indigenous design houses, chipset roadmaps, certification enforcement, and stronger PCBA ecosystems, India risks remaining a “box-building hub” rather than a product-origin nation.Meanwhile, geopolitical shifts and supply-chain realignments are accelerating the urgency.
Three vectors are shaping Sasken’s forward thesis:
- Smart energy grids requiring dense IoT telemetry and AI analytics
- Advanced connectivity spanning 5G, 6G, and satellite-linked architectures
- AI-accelerated edge systems powered by increasingly capable NPUs
As non-terrestrial networks expand and regulatory regimes particularly in Europe mandate nine-year device lifecycles and eco-compliance, hardware durability and long-term firmware stewardship are becoming competitive differentiators.Sasken’s bet: full-stack control plus AI-enabled engineering discipline can close India’s structural gap.Whether this pivot births globally scaled IoT champions remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: India’s transition from coding services to connected systems has begun.
In our upcoming full interview, Hareesh Ramana opens up about India’s hardware deficit, the funding paradox strangling IoT startups, geopolitical supply-chain shifts, and why he believes “design sovereignty” is the real battleground.
Stay tuned.
