Recently, the Union Minister of Electronics & IT addressed the Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) Symposium organized by IIT Madras in Chennai. This one-day symposium shed light on the government’s vision for DIR-V, focusing on creating a strong RISC-V ecosystem through compelling public-private partnerships and collaborations with top-tier academic institutions.
About the Digital in India RISC-V (DIR-V) Program
The DIR-V Program is a forward-looking initiative aimed at enhancing India’s semiconductor ecosystem. Its primary ambition is promoting homegrown innovation in microprocessors, hence, laying the groundwork for self-reliance. The program underlines three fundamental principles: innovation, functionality, and performance, which will shape its future trajectory.
Navigating Complex Digital Realities
Acknowledging the growing demand for silicon chips in our increasingly digitized world, the DIR-V Program is designed to adapt. With advancing technologies like 5G and 6G reshaping the digital landscape, it foresees its applications spreading across several areas, including cloud services, Internet of Things (IoT), and sensors.
DIR-V’s Pivotal Role in High-Performance Computing
DIR-V is at the core of India’s high-performance computing aspirations. With collaborations from organizations like the Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and public-private partnerships, DIR-V can play a significant role in achieving these ambitious goals.
Understanding RISC-V
RISC stands for “reduced instruction set computer,” and ‘V’ represents the 5th generation. It is an open-source hardware Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) used for developing custom processors for a variety of end applications. This flexibility allows designers to create thousands of potential custom processors, reducing time to market. The shared processor IP also reduces software development time. You can find RISC-V processors in wearables, IoT, smartphones, automotive, aerospace, and more. They offer power efficiency, performance customization, and security while performing well in space-constrained designs and complex computational tasks. Prof. David Patterson of the University of California, Berkeley, invented RISC around 1980.
About the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
The C-DAC is a leading R&D institution under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), specializing in IT, Electronics, and associated areas. Founded in 1988 in response to the denial of supercomputer imports, C-DAC embarked on its journey with the development of India’s first Supercomputers PARAM. It continues to play an essential role in India’s IT revolution, persistently innovating and leveraging its expertise to develop and implement IT products and solutions in line with national policies and market needs.
