DHRUV64 Microprocessor | 25 Dec 2025

Source: TH 

On 15^th December, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced the launch of DHRUV64, a fully indigenous 64-bit microprocessor developed by C-DAC under the Microprocessor Development Programme (MDP), aimed at strengthening India’s sovereign semiconductor ecosystem. 

DHRUV64 

• About: 
  • DHRUV64: It is part of India’s ecosystem of processors, including SHAKTI from IIT-Madras, AJIT from IIT-Bombay, VIKRAM from the ISRO-Semiconductor Lab, and THEJAS64 from C-DAC (2025). 
    • It is a general-purpose, 64-bit, dual-core microprocessor 
  • Clock Speed: ~1 GHz 
  • Developer: Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) 
  • Architecture: Based on RISC-V 
  • Programme: Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) 
  • Designed for embedded systems as well as operating-system-level workloads 

THEJAS32 was the first India-designed chip DIR-V chip to be fabricated (in Malaysia) and THEJAS64 was the second, manufactured at SCL Mohali. DHRUV64 is the third on this list. 

• Applications 
  • Telecom base stations 
  • Industrial automation and controllers 
  • Automotive electronics 
  • Routers and networking equipment 
  • Strategic and government systems 

• Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) Programme: 
  • Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) Programme aims to develop a portfolio of indigenous RISC-V–based microprocessors to reduce India’s dependence on foreign processor technologies. 
  • It targets strategic and commercial sectors such as industry, defence, space, and consumer electronics, supporting technological sovereignty. 
• RISC‑V: 
  • RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) that allows anyone to design and customize processors without paying licensing fees. 
    • Unlike ARM or x86 (Intel/AMD), companies don't pay a "tax" to use the blueprint.  
    • It supports modular and scalable processor designs, making it suitable for applications ranging from embedded systems to high-performance computing.