The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) have developed two new 32-bit microprocessors, VIKRAM3201 and KALPANA3201, for space applications. On March 5, 2025, the first production batches were handed over to ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan by S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), at an event in New Delhi. The microprocessors were designed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and fabricated at SCL’s 180nm CMOS semiconductor facility in Chandigarh.
VIKRAM3201 is an advanced version of the earlier 16-bit VIKRAM1601 processor, which has been used in ISRO’s launch vehicle avionics since 2009. The new processor features a custom instruction set architecture, floating-point computation capability, and support for the Ada programming language. ISRO has developed an in-house software toolset, including a compiler, assembler, linker, and simulator, with a C compiler currently in progress. The processor was validated in space during the PSLV-C60 mission’s Orbital Experimental Module.
KALPANA3201 is a 32-bit SPARC V8 RISC microprocessor based on the IEEE 1754 instruction set. It is compatible with open-source software tools and has been tested with flight software.
Additionally, ISRO and SCL delivered four other semiconductor devices aimed at miniaturizing the launch vehicle avionics system. These include two variants of a reconfigurable data acquisition system integrating 24-bit sigma-delta analog-to-digital converters, a relay driver integrated circuit, and a multi-channel low drop-out regulator integrated circuit.
An agreement was also signed between SCL and VSSC for the joint development of miniaturized unsteady pressure sensors for wind tunnel testing.