India has unveiled Dhruv64, its first fully indigenous 64-bit dual-core microprocessor, developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Microprocessor Development Programme (MDP). The 1.0GHz processor is part of the Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) initiative, supporting open-source chip design, testing, and prototyping using the royalty-free RISC-V architecture. Dhruv64 is designed to power industrial systems, IoT devices, automotive electronics, consumer gadgets, and 5G infrastructure, strengthening India’s domestic semiconductor capabilities and reducing dependence on imported chips.
Built on an open and collaborative platform, Dhruv64 allows researchers, startups, and tech companies to innovate without licensing restrictions. The dual-core 64-bit architecture ensures versatility, reliability, and security, making it suitable for critical infrastructure, including defense technology. Dhruv64 follows previous homegrown processors like Thejas32 and Thejas64, while C-DAC also plans to launch Dhanush and Dhanush+ processors. National initiatives supporting indigenous chip development include DIR-V, India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), Chips to Startup (C2S), Design Linked Incentive (DLI), and Indian Nanoelectronics Users Programme – idea to innovation (INUP-i2i).