- IIT Madras and ISRO have successfully developed and booted the IRIS semiconductor chip, an indigenous aerospace-grade processor built on SHAKTI.
- The fully India-made chip, designed for space applications, marks a major milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in semiconductor technology.
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have successfully developed and booted an indigenous aerospace-quality semiconductor chip based on the SHAKTI microprocessor.
The SHAKTI project, led by Prof. V. Kamakoti at the Prathap Subrahmanyam Centre for Digital Intelligence and Secure Hardware Architecture (PSCDISHA) within IIT Madras, focuses on designing processors using RISC-V, an open-source Instruction Set Architecture (ISA).
Supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the ‘Digital India RISC-V’ (DIRV) initiative, the project aims to foster the domestic development of secure microprocessor-based products.
The newly developed IRIS (Indigenous RISC-V Controller for Space Applications) chip is built on the SHAKTI microprocessor framework. Designed for applications ranging from the Internet of Things (IoT) to mission-critical space operations, it is part of ISRO’s effort to indigenize semiconductor technology for its command and control systems.
The ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) in Thiruvananthapuram initiated the development of a 64-bit RISC-V-based controller and collaborated with IIT Madras to define specifications and design the chip. The final configuration was tailored to meet the computing and functional requirements of existing sensors and systems used in ISRO’s space missions. Fault-tolerant internal memory was integrated to enhance reliability, along with custom functional and peripheral interface modules. Expandability features were incorporated to accommodate future space missions.
A key aspect of this development is its entirely domestic execution. The chip was conceived by IISU Thiruvananthapuram, designed and implemented by IIT Madras, fabricated by the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Chandigarh, packaged by Tata Advanced Systems in Karnataka, and assembled by Syrma SGS in Chennai. The motherboard PCB was manufactured in Gujarat, with software development and final testing conducted at IIT Madras.
Highlighting the achievement, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, stated,
“After RIMO in 2018 and MOUSHIK in 2020, this is the third SHAKTI chip we have fabricated at SCL Chandigarh and successfully booted at IIT Madras. That the chip design, chip fabrication, chip packaging, motherboard design and fabrication, assembly, software, and boot—all happened inside India—is yet another validation that the complete semiconductor ecosystem and expertise exists within our country.”
Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, acknowledged the milestone, emphasizing its importance in India’s semiconductor development. He noted that a product based on the IRIS controller is set to undergo flight testing soon.
Shri Kamaljeet Singh, Director General of SCL Chandigarh, also recognized the collaboration, stating that SCL is committed to supporting academia and startups in advancing India’s semiconductor capabilities.
The development of the IRIS chip represents a crucial advancement in India's efforts to build a self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem, aligning with the broader 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative.
Edited by Harshajit Sarmah
