Zoho launches Nathu La server to deepen hardware push
Tue, 16th Jun 2026 (Today)
Zoho has launched Nathu La, an in-house server designed as part of its effort to build more of its own technology stack.
Developed with Intel, the system uses Intel Xeon 6 processors. Zoho said it delivers equivalent performance with 12-18% lower power consumption and 20-30% lower total cost of ownership, reducing inference costs for its artificial intelligence workloads.
Nathu La marks Zoho's move into hardware design after years of focusing on software applications and infrastructure software through its Zoho and ManageEngine businesses. The company plans to host its own applications on the platform so it can tune software and hardware together for its workloads.
The approach also gives Zoho greater control over data governance and the underlying systems used by customers in different markets. The launch is part of a broader push to own more of the layers beneath its software products.
"Zoho Corporation has invested in building its own technology stack from the ground up over the last three decades. The Nathu La server launch is in line with that goal," said Shailesh Davey, Chief Executive Officer, Zoho Corporation.
"With Zoho's strategy of using contextual, right-sized models, running on our own platform, now on our own servers, accelerated by our own GPU database, we are compounding the benefits accrued from owning and operating our entire technology stack. These long-term R&D investments we are making at every layer of the stack are aimed at delivering customer value and ensuring that our solutions are more sustainable and accessible for businesses than the competition," Davey said.
Hardware push
The design is based on principles from the Open Compute Project, which focuses on modular systems, cooling efficiency and easier maintenance. Zoho said those choices are intended to reduce operating costs in its data centres.
The motherboard and chassis platform are the result of five years of research and development across hardware, firmware and systems management, according to Zoho. The system is built for virtualisation, high-performance computing, AI inference and storage applications.
It also includes customised power delivery subsystems, an in-house DC-SCM design and modular chassis options for different deployment settings. Zoho said modular components such as the DC-SCM and network interface card were designed by its hardware engineering team and assembled by electronics manufacturing services partners in India.
Zoho said it has filed more than five patents related to thermal management and server architecture. It added that the platform is engineered with hardware-rooted security and that owning the intellectual property removes dependence on outside groups for security audits, firmware updates and licensing continuity.
Talent base
Zoho said it set up a small team in Nagpur in 2020 to work on research projects including server design. Members of the Nathu La team include recruits from SETU, a training initiative for students at colleges across Central India focused on electronics system design and manufacturing.
More than 300 students have been trained through the programme, with some joining Zoho. The company linked the effort to a broader attempt to develop engineering talent outside the main metropolitan centres.
India's server market has long relied on technology sourced from abroad, with local users often paying royalties and licensing fees to overseas intellectual property owners. Zoho said Nathu La is one of the few server platforms designed by an Indian technology company with the intellectual property owned in India.
The company also said the system aligns with open-source software policy and local-content requirements used in government procurement. It positioned the project within broader national efforts to expand domestic digital infrastructure and high-performance computing.
A privately held software group with more than 55 applications across business categories, Zoho is headquartered in Austin and Chennai and has more than 90 offices worldwide. The launch of Nathu La extends that footprint from software into server design, as the company seeks tighter control over the systems on which its applications run.
"The development of the Nathu La server reflects our commitment to creating complex technology powered by talent from smaller towns and villages," said Davey. "Through focused investments in R&D and skill development, this foray into hardware enables us not only to build and own the technology, but also to cultivate the expertise and talent behind it."