Amid the global wave of semiconductor self-sufficiency, India has finally delivered its first achievement. The Indian government officially announced the successful development of the country's first domestically produced 64-bit dual-core microprocessor (MPU).Codenamed "DHRUV64"This chip uses the open-source RISC-V instruction set architecture, marking a key step for India in building its indigenous semiconductor ecosystem.
28nm process specification, primarily targeting embedded systems and the Internet of Things.
Although the specifications of "DHRUV64" are not top-of-the-line by 2025 semiconductor technology standards, it is of great significance to India's semiconductor industry, which is starting from scratch.
According to official information, DHRUV64 has the following characteristics:
• Architecture:Based on the RISC-V open-source instruction set, this means that India does not need to pay expensive licensing fees to Arm or Intel.
• Core configuration:It features a 64-bit dual-core design with a clock speed of 1.0 GHz.
• Technical details:It supports out-of-order (OoO) and superscalar computing technologies and has approximately 3000 million logic gates.
• Process:It uses a 28nm manufacturing process.
Judging from the chip layout diagram released by the official website, this processor is clearly not designed for smartphones or high-performance computing, but rather for industrial control, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or basic consumer electronics.
Next step: The Dhanush series takes over.
India's Ministry of Electronics and Communications Technology (MeitY) is not stopping there, emphasizing that DHRUV64 is just the beginning, and that it will subsequently develop the next-generation processor series codenamed "Dhanush" and "Dhanush+". Although specific specifications have not yet been announced, it is expected to move towards more advanced manufacturing processes (such as 12nm or higher) and higher core counts to further expand the application ecosystem of Indian-made MPUs.
Analysis: RISC-V becomes the top choice for national strategies
In my opinion, the birth of DHRUV64 once again proves that the RISC-V architecture has become the best shortcut for countries to pursue "chip self-sufficiency".
For India, catching up with TSMC's advanced manufacturing processes or Qualcomm's design capabilities in a short period is unrealistic. Choosing the mature 28nm process and open-source architecture is a more pragmatic strategy. While this chip may not be able to run AAA games, it is sufficient to power smart meters, routers, or educational computers. The Indian government's true strategic intention is to first hone its skills with low- to mid-range products, establishing a complete talent supply chain from design and verification to tape-out.
Currently, caught in the crossfire of the US-China tech war, India is attempting to leverage its vast talent pool in software to gain a foothold in the hardware sector as well.
