Sunita Somvanshi
At Semicon India 2025, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw handed PM Modi something small but mighty – India’s first fully Make-in-India 32-bit microprocessor qualified for launch-vehicle use. The Vikram-3201 chip (also called Vikram-32) represents India’s advancement in the specialized field of space-qualified processors.
During the ceremony, PM Modi said, “Oil was black gold, but chips are digital diamonds.” The processor was designed by ISRO and fabricated at SCL’s 180 nm CMOS facility in Mohali – representing a significant milestone for India’s semiconductor capabilities.
ISRO’s Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) fabricated the processor at its 180 nm CMOS facility in Mohali. According to ISRO’s technical documentation, Vikram-3201 supports floating-point computations and the Ada programming language, with ISRO developing in-house compilers and software tools specifically for this architecture. Work on a C compiler is also underway.
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This isn’t just a lab experiment. ISRO confirms the initial batch was validated aboard the PSLV-C60 mission’s POEM-4 payload, where it served in the Mission Management Computer. The space environment – with radiation, temperature extremes, and vacuum conditions – provides the ultimate validation test for semiconductors.
The 180 nm fabrication node might raise eyebrows in an era of 3-5 nm consumer chips, but SCL’s choice aligns perfectly with aerospace requirements. Space-grade processors prioritize radiation tolerance and reliability over miniaturization, with mature process nodes offering better radiation performance characteristics. The chip is packaged and qualified for harsh launch/space environments.
Vikram-32 is aligned with the ₹76,000 crore ($9.2 billion) Semicon India Programme. The government has approved semiconductor projects worth approximately ₹1.60 lakh crore ($18 billion) across 10 major initiatives. A critical infrastructure element is the OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) pilot line inaugurated in Sanand, Gujarat, which will handle chip packaging.
The toolchain ecosystem includes Ada language support and in-house compilers developed by the ISRO team. ISRO’s documentation mentions work on a C compiler as well, though licensing details for the toolchain haven’t been publicly released.
Looking at SCL’s product documentation, some specifications are available while others remain unpublished. The operating frequency is published at 100 MHz, and power consumption figures show operating power <500 mW and quiescent supply current <10 mA. However, detailed radiation hardening certification levels and production volume targets are not publicly disclosed.
While Vikram-32 represents significant progress, India’s chip ecosystem still depends on some imported components. According to ISM program documents, advanced lithography equipment, specialized chemicals, and certain packaging technologies remain import-dependent. The Semicon India programme specifically targets these dependencies through approved projects aimed at building domestic capabilities.
“The day is not far when the world will say – Designed in India, Made in India, Trusted by the World,” stated PM Modi at the Semicon India event, positioning the processor within India’s broader technological vision.
For those wanting to track developments, ISRO, SCL, and the India Semiconductor Mission websites publish technical advancements and program milestones. The Vikram-3201 processor was fabricated at SCL’s 180 nm facility in Mohali, tested aboard PSLV-C60, and designed with floating-point capabilities and Ada language support. The chip is aligned with India’s ₹76,000 crore Semicon India Programme, which is backing broader semiconductor ecosystem development.
