Wire · opportunities
MeitY Unveils NIDAR 2.0 to Power Drones with Indigenous Chips
◆ Sectors
◆ Geography
◆ Source
◆ Verified
Fusion42 · 17 July 2026 · Fusion42 review
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched NIDAR 2.0, a national hackathon programme to design drones and flight controllers powered by the indigenous VEGA microchip, targeting autonomous swarm coordination and GPS-denied navigation for disaster relief and industrial inspection. The initiative aligns with India's Atmanirbhar Bharat and India Semiconductor Mission goals, offering ₹65 lakh in prizes plus incubation and industry connections to commercialise solutions.
This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Semiconductors, Drones & UAV and AI Agents.
◆ ◆ The Wire takeaway
If you build drone autonomy, swarm coordination, or GPS-denied navigation, India just created a funded buyer for your tech—and locked you into an indigenous chip mandate. The ₹65 lakh prize and commercialisation pathway exist; the constraint is that VEGA is now non-negotiable.
◆ Coverage
1 source · 17 Jul 2026
◆ Related on Wire
◆ Topics