VIHAAN Achieves First-Pass Silicon Success in Indigenous Chip Design
Semiconductor design is an important part of the electronics value chain, contributing significantly to product value and influencing the cost, performance and security of electronic systems. As India expands its digital infrastructure, the availability of domestically designed chips is becoming increasingly important for applications ranging from telecommunications and IoT to defence, automotive systems and artificial intelligence.
A recent development in this area is VIHAAN, a broadband networking System-on-Chip (SoC) developed by Chennai-based fabless semiconductor startup Aheesa Digital Innovations with support from the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme. Designed specifically for fibre broadband applications, VIHAAN has achieved first-pass silicon success, meaning the chip functioned successfully on its first fabrication attempt.
Built on the open-standard RISC-V architecture, VIHAAN uses the indigenous 64-bit VEGA processor developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). The SoC is designed for use in fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) equipment and can support broadband customer premises equipment such as routers and Optical Network Terminals (ONTs).
Key Features of VIHAAN
1. First-pass silicon success, reducing the need for redesign and additional fabrication cycles
2. 64-bit indigenous VEGA processor based on RISC-V architecture
3. Support for GPON/EPON fibre networks and Gigabit Ethernet
4. Integrated functions for packet processing, routing, Quality of Service and firewall operations
5. Hardware-based security features including secure boot, encryption and a hardware root of trust
6. Software integration through Aheesa Router OS (AROS), based on OpenWrt
VIHAAN completed its design tape-out in January 2026 and achieved first-pass silicon success in August 2026. The chip is now expected to move towards production tape-out, targeted for 2027.
The development is part of the wider effort to strengthen India's semiconductor design ecosystem. Under the DLI Scheme, Indian startups are being supported in developing chips for applications across telecommunications, satellite communication, drones, surveillance, automotive systems, IoT, AI and other strategic sectors.
The broader semiconductor design ecosystem is also expanding through government-supported initiatives. Chip-design tools have been made available to 455 organisations, including 350 academic institutions and 105 startups. Companies supported under the DLI Scheme have collectively achieved more than 30 chip design tape-outs and raised over US$100 million in venture capital funding, while the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme has enabled 245 chip designs to be taped out by 71 academic institutions.
The development of VIHAAN demonstrates the growing capabilities of Indian companies in designing application-specific semiconductor solutions. Its use of an indigenous processor and focus on fibre broadband also contributes to building domestic capabilities for secure and locally developed digital infrastructure.
References:
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2299883®=48&lang=2