Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu explains: There are two kinds of engineering R&D, and we need…
Zoho co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu has outlined the two fundamental approaches to engineering research and development, emphasizing that both require different levels of patience and commitment. In a recent post on X, Vembu explained that R&D work falls into two distinct categories: catching up with existing state-of-the-art technology and advancing beyond current capabilities.
"Catching up is generally easier than advancing the state of the art, but depending on the technology—as an example 3 nm fab or advanced jet engines—even that can be extremely hard," Vembu wrote. He noted that while advancing technology is generally harder, unexplored areas can offer opportunities for easier progress.
Vembu stressed the need for sustained investment in both approaches. "We have to invest in both but we have to understand the difficulty level and adjust our patience level accordingly. We need the talent and money but we also need the patience to stay the course," he said.
Zoho had to suspend its $700 million chipmaking plan over technology concerns
Vembu's reflections on engineering R&D could possibly be related to Zoho's decision to suspend its $700 million chipmaking plan. The software company put its year-long effort on hold in May 2025, with Vembu explaining the decision centered on technology confidence ."We did not have that confidence in the tech so our board decided to shelve this idea for the time being, until we find a better tech approach," Vembu said. Given the capital-intensive nature of semiconductor manufacturing requiring government backing, the company wanted absolute certainty before accepting taxpayer money.
Zoho had planned to invest $400 million in a semiconductor facility in Karnataka, creating 460 jobs. The company's subsidiary, Silectric Semiconductor Manufacturing, had made limited hires and formed a board. Reuters reported the company encountered challenges in finding suitable technology partners for the complex chipmaking processes
Government accelerates semiconductor manufacturing ambitionsMeanwhile, government is moving ahead with its plans in the semiconductor space. In the New Economy Forum, hosted by Bloomberg, the technology minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said the plan is for the country’s semiconductors to be on par with the most advanced manufacturers by 2032, with three of the new fabs set to begin their commercial production operations early next year.
To facilitate this plan, the government has launched a subsidy-based wafer with a total Corpus Fund of $10 billion. This has led to many companies participating in this initiative, including Micron Technology and Tata Group . This same technique was used when India succeeded in encouraging Apple and its manufacturers to make iPhones in India.
"Catching up is generally easier than advancing the state of the art, but depending on the technology—as an example 3 nm fab or advanced jet engines—even that can be extremely hard," Vembu wrote. He noted that while advancing technology is generally harder, unexplored areas can offer opportunities for easier progress.
Vembu stressed the need for sustained investment in both approaches. "We have to invest in both but we have to understand the difficulty level and adjust our patience level accordingly. We need the talent and money but we also need the patience to stay the course," he said.
Zoho had to suspend its $700 million chipmaking plan over technology concerns
Vembu's reflections on engineering R&D could possibly be related to Zoho's decision to suspend its $700 million chipmaking plan. The software company put its year-long effort on hold in May 2025, with Vembu explaining the decision centered on technology confidence ."We did not have that confidence in the tech so our board decided to shelve this idea for the time being, until we find a better tech approach," Vembu said. Given the capital-intensive nature of semiconductor manufacturing requiring government backing, the company wanted absolute certainty before accepting taxpayer money.
Zoho had planned to invest $400 million in a semiconductor facility in Karnataka, creating 460 jobs. The company's subsidiary, Silectric Semiconductor Manufacturing, had made limited hires and formed a board. Reuters reported the company encountered challenges in finding suitable technology partners for the complex chipmaking processes
Government accelerates semiconductor manufacturing ambitionsMeanwhile, government is moving ahead with its plans in the semiconductor space. In the New Economy Forum, hosted by Bloomberg, the technology minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said the plan is for the country’s semiconductors to be on par with the most advanced manufacturers by 2032, with three of the new fabs set to begin their commercial production operations early next year.
To facilitate this plan, the government has launched a subsidy-based wafer with a total Corpus Fund of $10 billion. This has led to many companies participating in this initiative, including Micron Technology and Tata Group . This same technique was used when India succeeded in encouraging Apple and its manufacturers to make iPhones in India.
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