India has achieved another important milestone in its drive to build an indigenous semiconductor ecosystem, with Chennai-based Aheesa Digital Innovations announcing first-pass silicon success for its VIHAAN broadband networking System-on-Chip (SoC).
Designed for fibre broadband applications, VIHAAN represents a significant step in the development of Indian-designed silicon for digital connectivity infrastructure. The chip was taped out on Republic Day earlier this year and subsequently achieved first-pass silicon success on Independence Day, marking a successful transition from chip design to working silicon. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has confirmed that Aheesa will now move towards a production tape-out targeted for 2027.
VIHAAN is built around the indigenous VEGA microprocessor, developed under India’s RISC-V programme. The use of a domestically developed processor architecture gives the project strategic importance as India seeks greater control over critical semiconductor technologies and reduce dependence on imported chip designs.
The SoC has been developed specifically for fibre broadband networking, an area that is becoming increasingly important as India expands high-speed internet connectivity across homes, businesses and other users. By integrating key networking functions into an indigenous chip, VIHAAN could eventually provide Indian equipment manufacturers with a locally developed silicon platform for broadband products.
The achievement is particularly significant because first-pass silicon success indicates that the manufactured chip has successfully met its initial functional expectations without requiring a redesign before validation. Moving from the design and tape-out stage to functioning silicon on the first attempt is an important technical milestone for a semiconductor startup.
Aheesa Digital Innovations is a fabless semiconductor company focused on broadband networking and security solutions. The company had earlier raised around ₹40 crore from the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation through the Tamil Nadu Emerging Sector Seed Fund, along with funding from private investors. The capital is expected to support product development and the company’s expansion in the semiconductor sector.
VIHAAN’s development is also backed by the government’s Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme, which is designed to strengthen India’s domestic semiconductor design capabilities. The scheme supports Indian companies working on chip designs for applications spanning telecommunications, defence, aerospace, satellite communications, automotive systems, artificial intelligence, IoT and other technology sectors.
The government has said that companies supported under the DLI programme have collectively achieved more than 30 chip-design tape-outs across different foundries and have raised over $100 million in venture capital funding. These developments indicate the growing maturity of India’s semiconductor design ecosystem.
The next major milestone for VIHAAN will be its planned production tape-out in 2027. Reaching that stage would move the project closer to commercial manufacturing and potential integration into fibre broadband equipment.
For India, the significance of VIHAAN extends beyond a single semiconductor product. Indigenous networking silicon can contribute to a broader domestic technology supply chain, while experience gained through projects such as VIHAAN can strengthen Indian capabilities in chip architecture, verification, fabrication coordination and system-level development.
The first-pass success therefore marks an important step for Aheesa Digital Innovations and India’s wider semiconductor ambitions. If the project progresses as planned towards production tape-out in 2027, VIHAAN could become an important example of how Indian-designed semiconductor technology is moving from development laboratories towards real-world digital infrastructure.