India’s First Made-in-India Semiconductor Chip
India has long been behind other countries in manufacturing semiconductor chips, which are widely used in almost every electronic device today. But 02 September 2025 marks a historic and proud moment for the nation as India successfully developed its first indigenously made semiconductor chip.
The name of this chip is Vikram 32-bit, officially called the Vikram 3201 Microprocessor. This achievement is a significant milestone for India, symbolizing self-reliance in the semiconductor sector.
During a conference held in New Delhi, Union IT & Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw presented the chip to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Vikram 3201 is a fully indigenous, high-performance microprocessor certified for extreme space-launch conditions.
Key Points
Name: Vikram 3201 (named after Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Father of India’s Space Program)
Developed by:
- ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) – Chip Design
- Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh – Fabrication
Fabrication Technology: 180 nm CMOS process at SCL (India’s only government-owned semiconductor fab)
Heritage: Successor to Vikram 1601 (16-bit processor), which has been used in ISRO rockets since 2009
Technical Specifications of Vikram 3201
Architecture: 32-bit RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)
Performance Features:
- Supports floating-point arithmetic (critical for scientific and navigation calculations)
- Compatible with Ada programming language (used in aerospace & defense)
- A C compiler is under development to extend programming support
Reliability:
- Radiation-tolerant design to survive cosmic radiation
- Resistant to extreme temperature, shock, and vibration
- Tested and validated on the PSLV-C60 launch mission, proving in-flight reliability
India Semiconductor Mission
Launched in 2021, the India Semiconductor Mission aims to make the country self-reliant in chip manufacturing. The main objectives are:
- Manufacturing Ecosystem: Setting up fabs, assembly, and test facilities
- Design Ecosystem: Encouraging fabless chip startups
- Research & Development: Building skilled manpower through training and advanced R&D labs
Semiconductor India 2025 Conference
The Semiconductor India 2025 conference, recently held in New Delhi, showcased the latest progress in this mission. It brought together industry leaders, policymakers, global investors, and technology experts to highlight India’s rapid strides toward semiconductor self-reliance.
