IIT Madras and ISRO jointly develop great chip
IIT Madras and ISRO have led the way in developing and successfully booting an Atmanirbhar aerospace quality SHAKTI-based Semiconductor Chip.
The SHAKTI microprocessor project is led by Prof. V. Kamakoti at Prathap Subrahmanyam Centre for Digital Intelligence and Secure Hardware Architecture (PSCDISHA) in Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Madras.
It aims to promote indigenous development of microprocessor based products that offer best-in-class security and visibility for users adopting RISC-V technology, say sources from IIT Madras.
Development
The ‘IRIS’ (Indigenous RISCV Controller for Space Applications) Chip was developed from ‘SHAKTI’ processor baseline, say sources from IIT Madras.
It can be used in diverse domains from IoT and compute systems for strategic needs, say sources from IIT Madras.
This development was part of the effort to indigenize semiconductors used by ISRO for its applications, Command and Control Systems and other critical functions aligning with its march towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in Space Technologies.
Idea
The ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) in Thiruvananthapuram proposed the idea of a 64bit RISC-V-based Controller and collaborated with IIT Madras in defining the specifications and designing of the semiconductor chip.
Configuration
The chip 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 to SHAKTI core, enhancing the reliability of the design.
Interface
Custom functional and peripheral interface modules being used in multiple space systems like CORDIC, WATCHDOG Timers and advanced serial buses were integrated.
Provisions for expandability to future missions also implemented through multiple boot modes and hybrid memory/device extension interfaces, say sources from IIT Madras.
The finalized design underwent software and hardware testing, targeting a high-reliability, high-performance product.
It was conceived by IISU Thiruvananthapuram, designed and implemented by IIT Madras, manufactured by SCL, Chandigarh, packaged by Tata Advanced Systems, Ltd at Perjenahalli, Karnataka, Motherboard PCB (Printed Circuit Board) manufactured by PCB Power, Gujarat, motherboard assembled and mounted by Syrma SGS, Chennai, software developed by IITM and successfully booted at IIT Madras.
Director of IIT Madras
Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, 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 IITM.
That the chip design, chip fabrication, chip packaging, motherboard design and fabrication, assembly, software and boot – all happened inside India, is yet another validation that the complete semiconductor ecosystem and expertise exists within our country, he said.
Chairman of ISRO
Dr. V Narayanan, Chairman, ISRO, 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, he said.
I congratulate all the teams involved, especially the IISU Team led by Padmakumar ES and the IIT Madras team led by Prof. V. Kamakoti.
I am sure that this high-performance controller, realized as per our requirements, will contribute significantly to future embedded controllers for space mission-related applications, he said.
It is planned to flight test a product based on this controller shortly and performance will be confirmed, he said.
IRIS-LV Processor is fully indigenous and fabricated in SCL’s 180 nm technology node encompassing mask frame design, GDS preparation and testing. Post silicon design validation & extensive electrical testing on wafer-level was conducted at SCL in close collaboration with the IIT Madras team, he said.
SCL is committed and continually working in association with academia and startups to facilitate and achieve Atmanirbharta in the realization of niche products, he said.
S Vishnu Sharmaa now works with collegechalo.com in the news team. His work involves writing articles related to the education sector in India with a keen focus on higher education issues. Journalism has always been a passion for him. He has more than 10 years of enriching experience with various media organizations like Eenadu, Webdunia, News Today, Infodea. He also has a strong interest in writing about defence and railway related issues.
