India Semiconductor Mission Advances with IIT Madras 7nm Processor Development Under SHAKTI Initiative

India has developed indigenous semiconductor capabilities over the past decade, including processor architectures, design talent, and research infrastructure. The country is now developing a 7 nanometre processor, announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on 18 October 2025.

The 7 nm processor is being developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras) through its SHAKTI initiative, started in 2013. SHAKTI uses open-source instruction set architecture, allowing free adoption without restrictions. India is adopting RISC-V architecture, and a family of microprocessors is under development for different device types. A medium-range open-source processor has been developed under SHAKTI for startups to build upon.

The project operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which leads semiconductor R&D, chip design, and innovation infrastructure. It aligns with the India Semiconductor Mission, aimed at establishing end-to-end semiconductor and display manufacturing capabilities and strengthening the national electronics value chain. The framework involves collaboration among academia, industry, and startups to improve R&D infrastructure and talent capacity.

The 7 nm processor is designed for high performance and energy efficiency, targeting server applications in financial services, communications, d...