This interview features Hiram Prasanna Samuel, CEO of Struent Semiconductors Pvt Ltd
Tell me a bit about your background? How did you first get started with Struent Semiconductors?
I’m Hiram Prasanna Samuel, CEO of Struent Semiconductors Pvt Ltd. I have been in this semiconductor domain for the past two decades, had worked with various top Semiconductor companies. After my bachelor’s at Bharathidasan university, I did my M.S in Chip design from The Royal institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden. I started my career at Synopsys as an Intern and moved to ChipIdea, Portugal. After 4.5 Yrs at ChipIdea, I moved to India and worked for GDA Technologies, L&T Infotech, L&T Technology Services, SmartPlay, Aricent & Altran which later became Capgemini. With over the 24+ years in this industry, I’ve had the privilege of working on 65+ tape-outs across various foundries and on all kinds of ASICs and SoCs — for mobile, IoT, industrial, and consumer applications. During this period, I felt a gap in the industry and envisioned creating a company that would design and build chips in India while delivering world-class silicon solutions to the global market. This vision led to the founding of Struent Semiconductors.
Tell me about Struent Semiconductors?
Struent was founded in May 2021 and is headquartered in Chennai, India. The vision to start a semiconductor company began with me and Anitha Stalin, our COO, back in 2010 — a dream that finally became reality during the Covid era. Struent is a solution provider with expertise in RTL design, verification, DFT (Design for Testability), physical design, Analog/mixed-signal design/layout, Hardware Engineering and Embedded solutions.
“Spec2GDSII/Spec2System” approach—taking projects from specification right through to tape-out to Systems.
The company emphasizes rapid time-to-market, high-quality delivery, and streamlined design flows, supporting standard or customer-owned workflows, libraries, IP procurement, test chip design, foundry partnerships and IoT-based product solutions.
What problem did you see that needed to be fixed? What is your approach to solving that?
You know, when I think about why we started Struent… it wasn’t just because we wanted to build chips — it was because we saw some gaps that really mattered. One of the big problems we saw and still see is this widening gap between ambitious system-level product ideas and grounded execution in silicon. Companies often struggle to translate bold visions into actual working chips — especially when it comes to things like edge AI, low-power architectures, and real-time performance. Too often, we’ve seen projects overrun, underperform, or never even make it past tape-out.
We wanted to change that.
And we aim to build chips that is entirely designed, developed, and manufactured in India – fulfilling the nation’s semiconductor needs while serving the global market.
At Struent, our approach is execution-first. We walk in early, co-own the problem, and stay till it’s solved — silicon in hand, software integrated, power budget hit. Whether it’s an AI accelerator or a mixed-signal SoC for an IoT device, we think beyond IP blocks. We think system. That’s what makes our team special — and frankly, that’s where my passion lies.
How has the role/offering of Struent Semiconductors changed during the recent years?
What made Struent evolve in recent years is our ability to stay lean and shift fast. The chip design ecosystem has been going through some big changes — from consolidation of design houses, foundries and EDA tools to global supply chain constraints. We’ve adapted by being deeply collaborative — not just with customers, but also with ecosystem players.
Did any of the market consolidation (or acquisition) affect your business and how?
When one big player acquires another, it can slow others down — but we actually saw opportunities to step in and support clients who suddenly found themselves with fewer hands-on deck. In fact, a few of our turnkey projects came because of that. We weren’t disrupted — we became the bridge.
What is a typical customer for Struent Semiconductors?
A typical customer for us at Struent is someone who’s building a custom chip — often for AI at the edge, IoT, industrial automation, or even smart medical devices. These are companies with sharp product visions, but they’re in a race — a race to market, to performance, and to differentiation. So naturally, they’re focused on what I call the “golden trio”: time-to-market, first-time-right, and price.
Customers are focused on time-to-market, first-time-right, price, etc. Do you see a change in customer behaviour in recent years? Where is the focus today and why?
Now, what’s interesting is how customer behaviour has changed in just the past few years.
Earlier, a lot of teams were okay with the idea of iteration. “Let’s try this version, fix the bugs, and push the next one.” But that mindset is gone. Today, it’s all about predictability — because a silicon mistake is expensive, not just in dollars but in lost opportunity. One missed window can set a company back by quarters, if not years.
And I think the supply chain crisis, fab capacity issues, and even VC expectations — they’ve all contributed to this shift. Customers now don’t just want a chip that works, they want a chip that lands exactly when and how they expect it to.
What I love about that shift is — it aligns perfectly with how Struent operates. We’re an execution-first company. We go deep into architecture, we execute like crazy, we look for things that could break before they break. Our goal is always first-time-right — and that philosophy resonates more and more with customers today.
What are the 3 top things you wish your customers would do better (or different)?
Now, if you ask me — what are the top three things I wish customers did differently?
Let me be honest:
Involve us earlier.
A lot of people call us in after the spec is frozen or RTL is underway. But the biggest design decisions are made up front. If we’re brought in during the architecture phase, we can help de-risk the entire project — technically and financially.
Invest in validation as seriously as design.
A beautifully designed chip that isn’t thoroughly verified is a ticking time bomb. First-silicon success doesn’t happen because the RTL is clean — it happens because every block, interface, and edge case was tested like crazy.
Treat us like a partner, not a vendor.
Chips aren’t built in silos. The best outcomes happen when we’re working closely with the customer’s team — talking frequently, making joint decisions, iterating fast. Some of our smoothest tape-outs happened simply because we were aligned and collaborative all the way.
At the end of the day, building silicon is hard — but it doesn’t have to be chaotic. With the right collaboration and mindset, it can be incredibly rewarding. And that’s the kind of relationship we aim to build with every customer.
Are you currently hiring? What type of jobs?
Yes — we’re absolutely hiring! In fact, we’re always looking for people who are both sharp and passionate. Right now, we’re hiring across several roles — mostly in RTL design, physical design, DFT, verification, Analog Design, Embedded. But more than a title, we’re really looking for people who love solving hard problems and can think system-wide, not just block-level. We’re especially excited about engineers who are curious, hands-on, and not afraid to ask “why?” Because at Struent, we don’t just want execution machines. We want thinkers — people who want to go from spec to silicon and understand what happens beyond that.
What is your #1 advice for people who want to work for your company?
My #1 advice for anyone who wants to work at Struent?
Don’t just show us what you’ve done — show us how you think.
We love people who bring perspective and are great problem solvers. Even if you’re early in your career, if you’re someone who dives into datasheets for fun, or who’s stayed up late debugging waveform glitches just for the thrill of it — we’d love to talk to you.
Also — be someone who thrives in collaboration. We work as a tight team. If you enjoy learning from others, challenging ideas respectfully, and owning your part of the puzzle, you’ll fit right in.
Where can one find more information?
You can check us out on our website https://struentsemi.com — we’ve got some exciting updates coming there too.
You can also follow us on LinkedIn for news, job openings, and what we’re building behind the scenes.
Or just drop us a message sales@struentsemi.com we’re always open to a conversation, even if it’s just exploratory. Sometimes the best hires start with a casual hello.
