Semicon India 2025: India’s First Indigenous ‘Vikram’ 32-bit Microprocessor Showcased

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw showcased the 32-bit microprocessor ‘Vikram' at Semicon India 2025 on Tuesday. It is India's first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), for use in launch vehicle applications under harsh environmental conditions. At Semicon India 2025, Union IT Minister presented the Vikram microprocessor, along with test chips of the four government-approved projects under the ‘Make in India' initiative, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Vikram Microprocessor Showcased at Semicon India 2025

The Vikram 32-bit microprocessor (VIKRAM3201) is jointly developed by the ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). It is designed for use in the harsh environmental conditions of launch vehicles, ensuring continued control functions and navigational capabilities during space missions.

“Here we are today, in a short span of 3.5 years, we have the world looking at India with confidence. Today, the construction of 5 semiconductor units is going on at a rapid pace. Pilot line of 1 unit is complete and we just presented the first Made in India chip to Hon'ble PM here,” the Union IT Minister said at Semicon India 2025.

As per ISRO, the chip is capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, from as low as -55 degrees Celsius to up to 125 degrees Celsius. It is said to be backwards compatible with the VIKRAM1601 microprocessor, which has been used in the avionics systems of ISRO launch vehicles since 2009.

The Vikram 32-bit microprocessor has a custom instruction set architecture. It has high-level language support for the Ada language, which is known for its reliability and has applications in satellites, air traffic control systems, and launch vehicles. There is also a floating-point computation capability for decimal-based complex and precise mathematical calculations. This potentially aids in calculating a space vehicle's trajectory, analysing sensor data, and rendering 3D graphics.

ISRO said that its indigenous microprocessor is compatible with open-source software toolsets, along with a proprietary simulator and an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). It has also been tested with flight software, as per the space agency.

Apart from the Vikram 32-bit microprocessor, two other fabrication plants are also expected to release their chips in the coming months, according to the Union IT Minister.