DHRUV64 is India’s first fully indigenous 1.0 GHz, 64-bit dual-core microprocessor, developed by C-DAC under the Microprocessor Development Programme. It is built on a modern RISC-V–based architecture designed to deliver higher efficiency, better multitasking and improved reliability, with seamless integration into a wide range of external hardware systems.
Positioned for both strategic and commercial use, the processor is suitable for 5G infrastructure, automotive systems, consumer electronics, industrial automation and IoT. For India, it provides a reliable, domestically controlled processor platform at a time when supply-chain security and technology sovereignty are becoming board-level issues.
Strategic Significance for Aatmanirbhar Semiconductors
DHRUV64 strengthens India’s move toward a secure and self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem by reducing long-term dependence on imported microprocessors. India already consumes around 20% of the world’s microprocessors; having a homegrown CPU line gives the country more control over critical digital infrastructure and mission-sensitive workloads.
The chip builds on earlier indigenous efforts such as SHAKTI (IIT Madras), AJIT (IIT Bombay), VIKRAM (ISRO–SCL) and THEJAS32/64 (C-DAC). Together, these projects form the nucleus of an Indian processor ecosystem spanning space, defence, industrial and general-purpose computing, and create a reference platform for domestic design IP and toolchains.
Fuel for R&D, Startups and Talent
Beyond deployments, DHRUV64 serves as a development and learning platform for startups, academia and industry. It enables teams to prototype new system architectures, boards and products at lower cost without relying on foreign processors or opaque black-box IP.
India already hosts about a fifth of the world’s chip design engineers. DHRUV64, along with its roadmap successors Dhanush and Dhanush+, helps create a richer “silicon playground” for this talent—supporting everything from teaching and research labs to fabless startups building indigenous SoCs, accelerators and embedded systems.
DIR-V and India’s Open RISC-V Bet
DHRUV64 is the third major processor fabricated under the Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) Programme, following THEJAS32 (fabricated at Silterra, Malaysia) and THEJAS64 (manufactured at SCL Mohali). DIR-V aims to build a complete portfolio of RISC-V–based microprocessors for industrial, strategic and consumer applications, anchored in India’s long-term Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.
By using the open RISC-V instruction set, these processors avoid licensing fees associated with proprietary architectures and encourage shared innovation across startups, research institutions and industry. This lowers barriers to entry for chip design and makes it easier to build a common toolchain, IP library and reference designs that can be reused across projects.
Institutional and Policy Backbone Behind DHRUV64
India’s processor push is underpinned by a coordinated institutional framework led by MeitY and programmes such as the Microprocessor Development Programme, India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V), Chips to Startup (C2S), the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme and INUP-i2i. Together, these initiatives provide funding, fabrication access, design infrastructure and talent development across more than 100 institutions and multiple startups.
C-DAC remains the lead design house for indigenous processors, creating processor IPs, SoCs, development boards and tools. With DHRUV64 now launched and Dhanush/Dhanush+ in active development, India is signalling a sustained, multi-generational roadmap rather than isolated one-off chips. For CXOs, this marks a shift: India is not only a design centre for global silicon giants, but increasingly a source of its own CPUs and microarchitectures.
