IIT Madras and ISRO Unveil IRIS, India’s First Aerospace-Grade Semiconductor

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have efficiently developed and booted an aerospace-grade semiconductor chip, marking a major step in direction of self-reliance in area know-how. The chip, named ‘IRIS’ (Indigenous RISCV Controller for Space Applications), has been designed based mostly on the SHAKTI processor and is meant to be used in IoT and compute techniques. The undertaking aligns with India’s efforts to cut back dependence on overseas semiconductor know-how and is a part of a broader initiative to strengthen indigenous capabilities in area purposes.

Development and Testing of the IRIS Chip

According to reports, the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) in Thiruvananthapuram collaborated with IIT Madras to outline the specs and develop the chip. The design incorporates fault-tolerant inside reminiscences to enhance reliability and consists of customized useful and peripheral interface modules similar to CORDIC, WATCHDOG Timers, and superior serial buses. Testing of the semiconductor was carried out to make sure its suitability for area missions, with rigorous software program and {hardware} evaluations carried out earlier than finalising the chip.

Complete Indigenous Fabrication and Assembly

Professor V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, said to India Today that your complete growth course of, together with chip design, fabrication, packaging, motherboard meeting, and software program booting, was carried out inside India. The undertaking is a part of the ‘Digital India RISC-V’ initiative (DIRV), which helps home growth of microprocessor-based merchandise with excessive safety requirements.

ISRO and Industry Support for Indigenous Innovation

ISRO Chairman Dr. V Narayanan expressed satisfaction over the event of the IRIS Controller, highlighting its contribution to India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. Kamaljeet Singh, Director General of the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) Chandigarh, talked about that SCL stays dedicated to collaborating with academia and startups to additional India’s self-reliance in area of interest semiconductor merchandise.