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ISRO and SCL Collaborate to Develop 32-bit Microprocessors for Space Missions.

Science and Technology | Dated: 18 Mar 2025

In March 2025, the Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Chandigarh (Punjab)-based Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) successfully delivered the first production batch of two 32-bit microprocessors, ‘VIKRAM3201’ and ‘KALPANA3201,’ for space applications.

🎯 Key Highlights:

- These microprocessors were designed and developed by the Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)-based Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of ISRO in collaboration with SCL.
- The microprocessors were handed over to Dr. V. Narayanan, Secretary of the Department of Space (DOS) and Chairman of ISRO, by S. Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), during a ceremony in New Delhi (Delhi).

💡 Other Important Facts:

(i) VIKRAM3201: India’s first fully ‘Make-in-India’ 32-bit microprocessor, specifically designed for the extreme environmental conditions of launch vehicles. It was fabricated at SCL’s 180-nanometer (nm) Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) semiconductor facility.
(ii) KALPANA3201: A 32-bit microprocessor based on the SPARC V8 (Scalable Processor Architecture, version 8) Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) microprocessor, adhering to the IEEE 1754 Instruction Set Architecture.

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

Recently, which Indian organization collaborated with SCL to develop 32-bit microprocessors for space applications?

Correct Answer: ISRO

🚀 Quick Recap:

About ISRO

Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
Headquarters: Bengaluru