India just rolled out DHRUV64, a homegrown chip from C-DAC that runs on RISC-V architecture and targets everything from 5G gear to IoT devices. The processor joins earlier domestic efforts like SHAKTI from IIT Madras and VIKRAM from ISRO, and it pushes the country closer to ditching foreign silicon for critical infrastructure. The government backed this through the Digital India RISC-V program, which skips licensing fees by using open standards.
DHRUV64 marks the third fabricated chip under the initiative after THEJAS32 got made in Malaysia, and THEJAS64 was built at a local fab in Mohali. The designers are already cooking up DHANUSH64 variants as follow-ups.
Programs like the India Semiconductor Mission and Chips to Startup have been pumping money and resources into building a local design scene, with over 8,000 people trained through workshops and around 348 research projects getting support. The whole push is about creating a self-reliant semiconductor stack without leaning on imports.
DHRUV64 marks the third fabricated chip under the initiative after THEJAS32 got made in Malaysia, and THEJAS64 was built at a local fab in Mohali. The designers are already cooking up DHANUSH64 variants as follow-ups.
Programs like the India Semiconductor Mission and Chips to Startup have been pumping money and resources into building a local design scene, with over 8,000 people trained through workshops and around 348 research projects getting support. The whole push is about creating a self-reliant semiconductor stack without leaning on imports.
