In News:

India crossed a significant milestone in its journey towards technological self-reliance in space electronics with the unveiling of the Vikram 3201, the nation’s first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor for rockets and satellites. The processor was showcased at the Semicon India 2025 conference, symbolising the country’s growing semiconductor capabilities and its commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Development and Collaboration

• Designed by: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), ISRO
• Fabricated at: Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh
• Launched by: Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology at Semicon India 2025
• Marks the first indigenously designed and fabricated processor of this scale for launch vehicle avionics.

Why the Processor Matters

• Unlike consumer processors (used in laptops or mobiles), the Vikram 3201 is space-grade, built to handle the navigation, control, and mission management of launch vehicles.
• Space electronics must withstand radiation, extreme vibration, and temperature fluctuations (–55°C to +125°C).
• With this chip, India reduces reliance on foreign processors, securing autonomy for critical missions and reducing supply-chain vulnerabilities.

Key Features

• Upgrade over Vikram 1601 (a 16-bit processor used since 2009).
• 32-bit architecture – enables faster, more precise data handling.
• 64-bit floating-point operations – ensures accurate trajectory and guidance calculations.
• Ada programming language support – widely used in aerospace for safety-critical systems.
• On-chip 1553B bus interfaces – allows seamless communication between avionics modules.
• Fabricated with 180 nm CMOS technology at SCL – reliable for aerospace-grade use.
• Military-grade resilience – rigorously tested for launch stresses and in-orbit functioning.

Testing and Validation

• Successfully tested on PSLV-C60 mission, where it powered the Mission Management Computer on the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM-4).
• Its in-orbit validation has given ISRO confidence for wider deployment in future missions.

Ecosystem and Complementary Developments

• ISRO has developed a complete software ecosystem: Ada compilers, assemblers, linkers, simulators, and Integrated Development Environments. A C-compiler is also under development.
• Alongside Vikram 3201, ISRO introduced:
  • Kalpana 3201 – a 32-bit SPARC V8 RISC microprocessor with open-source compatibility.
  • Reconfigurable Data Acquisition Systems (RDAS) – two variants.
  • Relay Driver IC.
  • Multi-Channel Low Drop-out Regulator IC.
• Together, these reduce dependency on imported avionics components.

Strategic Significance

• Technological Sovereignty: Eliminates dependency on foreign space-grade processors.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat: Strengthens indigenous capability in high-end semiconductor manufacturing.
• Semiconductor Push: Part of India’s broader semiconductor strategy, with five fabrication units under construction and incentives under the Design-Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme.
• Global Context: Space-grade processors are niche, not mass-produced, making indigenous capability a strategic advantage.