AstraZeneca to build $50 billion US manufacturing facility
AstraZeneca is investing $50 billion in the US by 2030, with its largest drug manufacturing facility to be built in Virginia. This major project will create hundreds of skilled jobs, enhance the domestic supply chain, and leverage AI and automation for pharmaceutical production—focusing on treatments for cancer, respiratory, and rare diseases.
LG to ship AI appliance with Furiosa chips
LG AI Research will soon commercialize an 8-chip AI appliance using FuriosaAI’s RNGD chips, following rigorous evaluation. Targeted at enterprise customers using LG’s ExaOne large language model, the system represents a key milestone for FuriosaAI and highlights increasing competition with Nvidia. LG’s adoption signals readiness for enterprise AI and broader applications in industry.
Infleqtion to build neutral atom quantum computer in the US
Infleqtion, a US startup in Colorado, aims to build the first utility-scale neutral atom quantum computer, backed by a $50 million public-private partnership. The four-year project partners with the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park and National Quantum Algorithms Center, aiming for 100 logical qubits and thousands of atom qubits, positioning Illinois at the forefront of quantum technology.
US research team demonstrates modular quantum computer architecture
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated a high-performance modular architecture for superconducting quantum processors. By connecting modules with coaxial cables, they achieved ~99% SWAP gate fidelity, enabling scalable, reconfigurable quantum systems. This modular approach addresses limits of monolithic designs, paving the way for fault-tolerant, large-scale quantum computers by allowing upgrades and hardware flexibility.
NASA ISRO satellite to launch July 30 onboard a GSLV-F16 rocket
NASA and ISRO will jointly launch the NISAR Earth-observation satellite on July 30 onboard Isro’s GSLV-F16 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. NISAR stands for Nasa Isro synthetic aperture radar. Equipped with dual-frequency synthetic aperture radars, it will provide high-resolution, global data every 12 days to support disaster monitoring and environmental research. This $1.5 billion mission aims to improve early warning for natural disasters and inform scientific understanding worldwide.
Inbound Aerospace raises $1 million seed funding
Inbound Aerospace, incubated at IIT Madras, has raised $1 million in seed funding led by Speciale Invest and Piper Serica. The startup is developing autonomous, reusable re-entry vehicles for microgravity research and space manufacturing. The funds will accelerate R&D and design milestones, with the first test launch targeted for late 2027 or early 2028.
Yali raises ₹893 crore deep tech fund, backed by Infosys, Tata, Qualcomm
Okay so let’s talk about Yali Capital, a deep-tech focused investment firm in Bangalore, founded by Ganapathy Subramaniam, a semiconductor industry veteran and technologist, along with Mathew Cyriac, a well-known figure in the world of finance in India.
Karthik Madathil, who is a partner at the firm, and Sunil Patil, CFO, make up the leadership.
They’ve just closed their first deep-tech fund at Rs. 893 crore, or about $104 million, well exceeding their original target of ₹500 crores and ₹310 crore greenshoe option.
The fund will invest in early stage (Seed, Series A) as well as late stage (Series D and beyond) startups, with a sharp focus on deep tech sectors including semiconductors, AI, robotics, genomics, aerospace/surveillance, and smart manufacturing, according to a press release.
“Two-thirds of the fund will be deployed in early-stage deep tech startups. We firmly believe in India’s deep tech potential and are committed to backing visionary founders with patient capital,” Ganapathy Subramaniam, Founding Managing Partner of Yali Capital, adds.
Yali operates through a dual structure comprising a SEBI-registered AIF and a GIFT City-based feeder vehicle to attract global investors. The firm has already made five investments, ranging from chip design to AI, and plans to expand its portfolio to eight companies by the end of the year.
“Nearly a third of our fund will be invested in late-stage deep tech companies,” Mathew Cyriac, General Partner at Yali Capital, says. “India has a real opportunity to build globally competitive public companies in this space. We are grateful to the global investor community for backing our vision.”
Yali’s investor base reflects the growing support for deep tech in India both from domestic LPs and global investors. Corporate investors in the new fund include Infosys, Qualcomm Ventures, and Tata AIG. Funds of Funds include the DPIIT Fund of Funds for Startups (managed by SIDBI), the Self-Reliant India Fund, Evolvence, and Singularity FOF.
Well-known industry leaders who’ve invested in the fund include Infosys Co-Founder Kris Gopalakrishnan, through his family office’s private investment arm Pratithi Investments, Gopal Srinivasan Founder of TVS Capital, Vallabh Bhansali of ENAM, Utpal Sheth, CEO, RARE Enterprises, Vishal Kampani, MD, JM Financial, Sanjay Nayak, Co-Founder, Tejas Networks, Nambi Seshadri, former CTO, Broadcom Wireless), and C. Srinivasan, Co-Founder, Cosmic Circuits.
“I strongly believe in India’s deep tech capabilities. It is heartening to see the government, global corporations, and successful entrepreneurs come together to back Yali’s deep tech thesis,” Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel, veteran investor and advisor to Yali Capital, said in the press release.
Yali has announced investments in companies such as C2I Semiconductor, 4basecare, and Perceptyne, and plans to continue actively deploying capital over the next four years.
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In-depth conversations with founders, investors, industry leaders and other stakeholders building India’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystems.
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Takeaways from conversations with founders, investors, industry leaders and other stakeholders building India’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystems.
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