Vikram 3201:
India unveiled its first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor, the Vikram 3201, at the Semicon India 2025 conference recently.
- Vikram 3201 is India’s first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor.
- Designed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), Vikram 3201 has been built by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Chandigarh.
- Unlike processors in everyday devices like smartphones or laptops, this one is designed specifically for rockets and satellites.
- It is an upgrade to Vikram 1601, a 16-bit processor that has powered ISRO’s launch vehicles since 2009.
- The Vikram 3201 marks the first time India has indigenously designed and fabricated a processor of this scale and specification for launch vehicle avionics.
- The chip’s job is to handle navigation, control, and mission management in launch vehicles, performing the split-second calculations needed to keep rockets stable and on course.
- Because space environments are harsh, the chip is manufactured to military-grade standards and rigorously tested to ensure it can keep working in extreme heat, cold, vibration, and radiation.
- The Vikram 3201 is built to withstand the extreme conditions of space missions, including temperatures from –55 degrees Celsius to +125 degrees Celsius.
- Unlike its predecessor, the new chip supports 64-bit floating-point operations, Ada programming language compatibility, and features on-chip 1553B bus interfaces for reliable communication during missions.
- It can handle substantial memory and execute complex instructions needed for launching satellites and space vehicles.
