Key facts
- Indian startup uses software to eliminate permanent magnets in motors
- Targets China's rare earth monopoly affecting EVs, defence and electronics
- Approach redesigns motor logic without rare earth-dependent components
An Indian startup has taken an unconventional route to one of the world's most pressing technology problems: instead of competing with China on rare earth mining or magnet manufacturing, it has built software that makes permanent magnets unnecessary in electric motors.
China's grip on rare earth elements — used in the powerful permanent magnets that drive electric vehicles, wind turbines, drones and defence systems — has long been considered a near-unbreakable chokehold on global technology supply chains. Western nations and India have scrambled for alternative sources with limited success. The startup's approach sidesteps the problem entirely by redesigning the motor's operating logic through software, removing the component that requires rare earth inputs.
The significance of this approach extends well beyond a single company's innovation. India's electric vehicle push, its defence modernisation plans, and its ambitions to become a global electronics manufacturing hub all depend on motor technologies that currently rely on Chinese rare earth supply. A software-based workaround, if it scales, could reduce that vulnerability substantially.
The story of this startup reflects a broader shift in how Indian founders are approaching deep-tech problems — not by replicating existing hardware solutions, but by rethinking the architecture from first principles. If the technology proves commercially viable, it could attract significant attention from both domestic manufacturers and international partners looking to diversify away from Chinese supply chains.