Key facts
- Indian startup eliminates rare-earth magnets using software-based motor control
- China dominates global rare-earth supply used in EV and industrial motors
- Technology could de-risk India's EV and defence supply chains
An Indian startup has found a way to build high-performance electric motors without rare-earth magnets — replacing them not with alternative materials, but with smarter software. The breakthrough, reported by India Today, sidesteps China's near-total dominance over the rare-earth supply chain, which has been a persistent vulnerability for countries racing to electrify their economies.
Rare-earth elements such as neodymium are essential ingredients in the permanent magnets used in most modern electric motors, from EV drivetrains to wind turbines. China mines and processes the overwhelming majority of the world's supply, giving it significant leverage over global clean-energy and defence manufacturing. The Indian startup's approach rewrites the rules by using sophisticated software algorithms to optimise motor performance without requiring those magnets at all.
The significance extends well beyond a single company's innovation. India has been pushing hard to build a domestic EV manufacturing base, and rare-earth dependence has been one of its most glaring structural weaknesses. A viable software-driven alternative could reduce import costs, de-risk supply chains, and give Indian manufacturers a competitive edge in global markets.
If the technology scales, it could also attract interest from defence and aerospace sectors, where supply-chain sovereignty is critical. The startup represents a growing trend of deep-tech ventures in India tackling hardware bottlenecks through software intelligence — arguably the country's most abundant resource.