Which academic institution was responsible for designing the IRIS chip based on the SHAKTI microprocessor, India's push for self-…

Question

Which academic institution was responsible for designing the IRIS chip based on the SHAKTI microprocessor, India's push for self-reliance in semiconductor technology, in February 2025?

1. A. IIT Madras (Correct answer)
2. B. IIT Delhi
3. C. NIT Trichy
4. D. IISc Bangalore

Correct Answer

Option A — IIT Madras

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is IIT Madras.

Key Points

• The IRIS chip, built on the indigenous SHAKTI processor core, was designed at IIT Madras, which has led India's open-source microprocessor effort.
• The SHAKTI programme at IIT Madras develops processors based on the open RISC-V instruction set architecture, with support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• The other institutions named are major technical centres but are not the home of the SHAKTI initiative.

Additional Information

• RISC-V matters because it is royalty-free. Unlike ARM or x86, it carries no licensing fee, which is precisely what makes indigenous processor design viable for a country building semiconductor self-reliance.
• India's parallel indigenous effort is VEGA, developed by C-DAC, also on RISC-V — the two are commonly examined as a pair.
• The wider policy context is the India Semiconductor Mission and the Semicon India programme, aimed at establishing domestic fabrication and design capability.
• SHAKTI chips have been fabricated at the Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali, India's own fabrication facility.