Neural Concept, a Swiss AI-native technology company, has established a direct commercial presence in India with teams in Bengaluru and Pune. The expansion responds to growing demand from Indian and global manufacturers already using its Engineering Intelligence platform in the region, including MAHLE. Customers will now get local commercial support, training, and coordination with Neural Concept's global engineering teams as they scale AI across design and simulation workflows.
The move comes as India's automotive and industrial sector faces pressure to shorten R&D cycles while developing more complex products. Electrification mandates, sustainability requirements, and competition from Chinese OEMs are driving that pressure. Engineering AI is also bringing agents into product-development workflows, automating tasks across design and simulation so teams can assess more options earlier in development.
Why India, why now
India is the world's third-largest automotive market, projected to reach $278.5 billion by 2034. The country adds roughly 1.5 million engineering graduates annually to an English-speaking workforce, and major global manufacturers operate significant engineering centers across the country.
"India is becoming a powerhouse for global engineering R&D, and Neural Concept is investing where talent, ambition and industrial scale are converging," said Pierre Baqué, CEO and Co-Founder at Neural Concept. "By establishing a direct presence, we are bringing our Engineering Intelligence platform closer to one of the world's most dynamic automotive and manufacturing R&D ecosystems."
Sudhir Padaki joins as Regional Sales Director, bringing 20 years of industry experience across India's automotive and manufacturing sector. He will lead the local team focused on helping customers onboard and deploy AI in design and simulation workflows. For product development teams tracking how AI reshapes engineering workflows, the AI for Product Development resource hub covers related shifts across the field.
What the platform does
Neural Concept provides what it calls an intelligence layer for engineering. The platform embeds physics-aware intelligence directly into design and simulation workflows, letting engineering teams make continuous AI-augmented decisions at each stage of product design.
The company, founded in 2019, serves OEMs and engineering organizations across automotive, aerospace, energy, consumer electronics, semiconductors, and defense. Beyond its Swiss headquarters, it has offices in Munich, New York, Seoul, and now Bengaluru and Pune. Its $100 million Series C round was led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives.
What the regional team will do
"Indian OEMs and engineering teams across the country are increasingly contributing to product programs with global reach, and they need partners who understand the local context," said Padaki. "By combining strong local relationships with Neural Concept's global engineering expertise, our team will help customers onboard efficiently and deploy AI across design and simulation workflows."
The expansion builds on existing work with Indian customers and India-based teams at global manufacturers. Local teams will coordinate with Neural Concept's engineering experts in other regions, giving manufacturers a direct line to the company rather than relying on remote support. Product managers looking to integrate AI into their own development processes can explore the AI Learning Path for Product Managers.
Why this matters for product development professionals
Engineering AI is moving from isolated experimentation into production workflows. For product development teams, the signal here is that global manufacturers like MAHLE are already using AI-native tools to shorten R&D cycles, and local support infrastructure is expanding to match. If your organization runs engineering teams in India or works with Indian suppliers, direct access to platform vendors and training changes how quickly AI initiatives can move from pilot to deployment.
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