India Makes History: ‘VIHAAN’ Networking Chip Developed Successfully on First Attempt—No More Imports Needed!
The country has achieved a major milestone in the semiconductor design ecosystem. Aheesa Digital Innovations, a fabless semiconductor startup based in Chennai, has developed its indigenous broadband networking System-on-Chip (SoC) named ‘VIHAAN’. Notably, the company achieved “first-pass silicon success,” meaning the chip functioned correctly right from its initial manufacturing attempt. Let us explore the details and features of the VIHAAN chip.
Developed Successfully on the First Attempt
“First-pass silicon success” implies that the chip worked perfectly on the very first attempt. This achievement can significantly reduce re-design cycles, development time, and costs—a feat that is notoriously difficult to accomplish in the electronics manufacturing sector.
Developed under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, VIHAAN is designed for high-throughput, secure broadband applications such as Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployments and broadband routers. This SoC is built on the open-standard RISC-V architecture and utilizes the indigenous 64-bit VEGA processor developed by C-DAC. The chip aims to reduce India’s reliance on imported networking silicon and will help boost the domestic production of broadband equipment.
Designed for Fiber Broadband and Networking
VIHAAN is designed to receive internet data via GPON and EPON fiber networks and distribute it through Gigabit Ethernet connections. Its 64-bit VEGA core supports high-speed packet processing, routing, traffic inspection, Quality of Service (QoS) management, and firewall functions. This chip also incorporates hardware-level security features—such as a hardware root of trust, secure boot, and a cryptographic engine—that protect firmware and network traffic from potential threats. Aheesa’s Router OS (AROS), based on OpenWrt, provides software support for integration with routers, modems, access points, and other networking equipment.
