IIT Madras, Isro develop semiconductor for space research, other sectors

State and private sector organisations involved in developing chip indigenously

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and the country’s space agency have jointly developed a semiconductor chip that can be used for diverse purposes and marks indigenisation efforts in advanced technology.

 

IIT Madras and Inertial Systems Unit of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in Thiruvananthapuram worked together on the chip that was manufactured in a semiconductor laboratory in Chandigarh. It was packaged at Tata Advanced Systems, Karnataka, showcasing a “major step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat in addressing computing needs for space and other sectors”, said a statement.

 

The IRIS (Indigenous RISCV Controller for Space Applications) chip was developed based on a Shakti processor baseline. It can be used in diverse domains, from the Internet of Things and computing systems for strategic needs. The chip is part of efforts to indigenise semiconductors Isro uses for its applications, command and control systems, and other critical functions.

 

The Shakti microprocessor project is led by V Kamakoti, a scientist at Prathap Subrahmanyam Centre for Digital Intelligence and Secure Hardware Architecture in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Madras. The Shakti project is backed by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under its ‘Digital India RISC-V’ initiative.

 

Isro’s Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) in Thiruvananthapuram and IIT Madras collaborated to define the specifications of the chip and design it. The configuration was arrived at addressing the common functional and computing requirements of existing sensors and systems used in Isro missions. Fault-tolerant internal memories were interfaced with the SHAKTI core, enhancing the reliability of the design.

 

Provisions for expandability to future Isro missions were implemented. The final design underwent software and hardware testing, targeting a high-reliability, high-performance product.

 

The chip’s motherboard was manufactured by PCB Power in Gujarat; it was assembled and mounted by Syrma SGS in Chennai and the was software developed by IIT Madras.

 

Kamakoti said, “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, fabrication, packaging, motherboard design and fabrication, assembly, software, and boot all happened inside India, is yet another validation that the complete semiconductor ecosystem and expertise exist within our country.”

 

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, said: “We at ISRO are very happy that IRIS Controller conceived by IISU based on SHAKTI processor of IIT Madras could be successfully developed end-to-end with Indian resources. This marks truly a milestone in “Make in India” efforts in semiconductor design and fabrication.”

 

Kamaljeet Singh, director general of SCL Chandigarh, said: “SCL is proud to be associated with IIT Madras and ISRO in the successful development of IRIS-LV Processor. SCL is committed and continually working in association with academia and startups to facilitate and achieve Atmanirbharta in the realization of niche products.”