India’s MRI market is estimated at USD 260–280 million. It is expected to grow to USD 400+ million by the end of this decade, driven by the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases, cancer diagnostics, and the expansion of hospital infrastructure beyond metros. Yet, more than 90% of MRI machines installed in India are imported, making MRI one of the most capital-intensive and operationally complex diagnostic modalities in the country. Against this backdrop, India’s attempt to build its first truly indigenous MRI scanner is not just a technology story—it is a story about cost, access, sovereignty, and long-term healthcare resilience.

This is where VoxelGrids, a Bengaluru-based startup backed by Zoho, enters the conversation. Their announcement of a homegrown, helium-free MRI scanner marks a quiet but potentially transformative shift in India’s medical devices journey. This is based on the new Software as a Medical Device (SaMD)guidelines issued by the Government of India.

Why MRI has always been India’s most challenging diagnostic problem

MRI has always occupied an awkward space in Indian healthcare. Clinically, it is indispensable—neurology, oncology, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiac imaging, and increasingly, whole-body screening rely heavily on MRI. Economically, however, it has remained out of reach for many hospitals. A standard imported 1.5– or 3-T MRI machine can cost between ₹8–15 crore, excluding civil works, shielding, service contracts, and helium refills. For Tier-2 and Tier-3 hospitals, this often makes MRI either unviable or heavily dependent on debt and leasing models.

This import dependence also creates systemic fragility. Supply chain delays, foreign exchange exposure, service engineer availability, and spare parts logistics all add friction. Over time, MRI became symbolic of a larger problem in Indian medtech—clinical sophistication without manufacturing control.

The VoxelGrids breakthrough: more than just “Made in India”

What VoxelGrids has attempted is significant not because it is an MRI machine alone, but because it challenges three entrenched assumptions. First, that MRI design and manufacturing must remain the domain of global giants. Second, the dependence on helium is unavoidable. And third, MRI cost reductions must come only from refurbished or downgraded systems.

The company’s indigenous 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner, developed with support from India’s biotechnology ecosystem, is reportedly 40% cheaper to manufacture than imported alternatives. That cost advantage is not cosmetic—it changes procurement math for hospitals, especially outside major metros. Just as importantly, it signals that India can move from “assembly” to deep-tech system engineering in medical devices.

The helium problem—and why solving it is a big deal

To understand why this matters, one has to understand helium. Traditional MRI machines use liquid helium to cool superconducting magnets to near absolute zero. Helium is scarce, expensive, and globally constrained. Any supply disruption—geopolitical or logistical—directly impacts MRI uptime. For Indian hospitals, especially those outside top cities, helium refills are not just expensive; they are operational nightmares.

VoxelGrids’ MRI is designed to be helium-free or near-zero helium, using alternative magnet and cooling architectures. This does two things simultaneously. It reduces operating costs over the machine’s lifetime and dramatically simplifies maintenance. For hospital administrators, this is not an engineering curiosity—it directly affects uptime, cash flows, and patient throughput. In many ways, helium-free MRI is to imaging what solar power was to rural electrification: a structural unlock.

Placing this in India’s broader medical devices story

This development is also timely when viewed against India’s broader trajectory in medical devices. The Indian medical devices market is estimated at USD 11–13 billion and is growing at a 10–12% CAGR. Imaging devices are among the highest-value segments in this market, yet also among the most import-heavy. Government initiatives such as PLI schemes, targeted R&D funding, and hospital procurement reforms are all nudging the ecosystem toward local innovation—but progress has been uneven.

Indigenous MRI changes the narrative by sitting at the intersection of capital equipment, advanced physics, software, and clinical trust. If India can build MRI machines, it can credibly aspire to build CT scanners, linear accelerators, and other complex imaging and therapy platforms.

How big is the MRI opportunity really?

India currently has an estimated 2,500–3,000 MRI scanners installed, heavily skewed toward metros and large private hospital chains. The scanner-to-population ratio remains well below OECD averages. As insurance penetration improves and clinical protocols increasingly mandate MRI for early diagnosis, demand will not only grow but also spread geographically.

Even conservative projections suggest 200–300 new MRI installations per year over the next decade. If indigenous players can capture even 15–20% of this incremental demand, it represents a meaningful domestic market opportunity, not counting exports to other price-sensitive emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

What will decide success: technology or trust?

Here is where a hard truth needs to be stated. MRI adoption is not driven by price alone. Radiologists care deeply about image quality, consistency, software upgrades, and responsiveness to service. Hospitals care about uptime, financing models, and resale value. Global OEMs have spent decades building trust on these dimensions.

For VoxelGrids—and any future Indian MRI manufacturer—the real challenge will not be building the machine, but building confidence. Clinical validation, regulatory approvals, long-term service guarantees, and integration with radiology workflows will determine whether this remains a symbolic win or becomes a scaled industry.

Why this moment still feels different

Despite these challenges, this moment feels different from earlier “Make in India” attempts. The emphasis is not on low-end substitution, but on re-architecting the product itself—removing helium, lowering lifetime costs, and aligning the machine to Indian operating realities. That design philosophy, if sustained, can be India’s competitive advantage rather than a weakness.

More importantly, it reflects a maturing ecosystem where private capital, government funding, and clinical insight are beginning to align. That alignment has historically been missing in Indian medtech.

Conclusion: a quiet inflexion point

India’s indigenous MRI effort may not make headlines like a new drug discovery, but its long-term impact could be just as profound. In a market valued at hundreds of millions of dollars annually, with profound clinical relevance and strategic importance, local MRI manufacturing represents a shift from dependence to capability.

If successful, this will not just reduce MRI costs—it will change who gets access to advanced diagnostics, how hospitals plan capital expenditure, and how India positions itself in the global medtech value chain. The real story, therefore, is not about one machine, but about whether India is finally ready to own the most complicated problems in healthcare technology.