For many years, India had a quiet, but painful, problem. Every time ISRO wanted to build a satellite or send a rocket to space, they had to buy special computer chips from other countries.
These tiny chips, called semiconductors, are the brain behind every machine—from your mobile phone to a spacecraft flying lakhs of kilometres away. Buying them from outside meant delays, high costs, and one more reason to depend on foreign nations. Now, India has decided to change this story completely.
ISRO has announced a bold plan to manufacture its own semiconductor chips right here in India—within the next four years. This is not a small thing. This is India saying: "We will not just launch rockets. We will also build the brains inside those rockets."
What exactly is a semiconductor chip?
Think of a semiconductor chip as the brain of any electronic device. Just like our brain controls everything our body does, these tiny chips control everything a satellite or spacecraft does—where it goes, what data it collects, and how it communicates back to Earth. Without these chips, a satellite is just a useless metal box floating in space.
"The challenge is that chips used in space missions are not ordinary chips. They have to survive rocket launches with extreme vibrations, temperatures that go from burning hot to freezing cold within minutes, and constant radiation from the sun and cosmos that would destroy a normal chip within hours. These are called space-grade chips, and making them is a highly skilled job," explained space analyst Girish Linganna.
ISRO's progress so far
The ISRO's Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) is located in Chandigarh. This facility has already created a chip called the Vikram 32-bit processor, formally introduced to the world during Semicon India 2025 in New Delhi by Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The Vikram processor is designed specifically to handle the brutal conditions of space, and has been tested and proven to survive what ordinary chips cannot.
This is a proud achievement because India did not buy this chip from America, Japan, or South Korea—it was designed, built, and tested, right here at home.
This chip-making effort is part of a much larger national mission. The Government of India has set aside Rs 76,000 crore under the Semicon India Mission. The goal is to build chip manufacturing plants and chip design centres all across the country, reduce India's dependence on imported chips, and eventually turn India into a global hub for semiconductor production.
The government's official target is to become what they call a "full-stack semiconductor nation". This means India wants to design, manufacture, and use its own chips for broadband internet, defence systems, smart electricity meters, space technology, and much more. Everything. End-to-end. Made in India.
IIT Madras is also doing its part
ISRO is not working alone. IIT Madras has been developing advanced processors under a project called SHAKTI. These processors are built on something called the RISC-V design: a free and open-source blueprint for making chips that any country or company can use without paying licence fees to foreign companies. Think of RISC-V as a recipe that the whole world can cook from, without asking for anyone's permission.
ISRO and IIT Madras have already worked together to test aerospace-grade processors built on this RISC-V design. This kind of teamwork between a space agency and an engineering institution is exactly what India needs to build a strong, homegrown technology ecosystem.
How will this help future missions?
The benefits are very real and very direct.
"When ISRO makes its own chips, it does not have to wait for another country to approve the sale. It does not have to worry about global chip shortages caused by wars, pandemics, or political tensions—all of which have disrupted supply chains in recent years. It can also customise the chip exactly the way a mission needs it—faster, stronger, more radiation-proof," remarked Linganna.
For future missions like Gaganyaan, India's first crewed spaceflight, having a homegrown space-grade processor is not just a matter of pride, but also a matter of safety. The lives of astronauts sitting inside that spacecraft will depend on the reliability of every chip on board.
Beyond space, this semiconductor push is expected to create thousands of high-skilled jobs, attract global investors, and position India as a serious player in the global technology market. Chips are the foundation of the modern world and India is finally building that foundation for itself.