India’s Indigenous VIHAAN Chip Achieves First-Pass Silicon Success, Production Target Set for 2027

India’s semiconductor ambitions have received a significant boost with Chennai-based Aheesa Digital Innovations achieving first-pass silicon success for its indigenous VIHAAN networking System-on-Chip (SoC). Developed for fibre broadband applications and built using the indigenous VEGA microprocessor, the chip has now moved closer to production, with a production tape-out targeted for 2027.

According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, VIHAAN was taped out on Republic Day earlier this year and achieved first-pass silicon success on Independence Day. The milestone demonstrates the ability of an Indian semiconductor startup to take a domestically designed chip from development and tape-out to functioning silicon without requiring an initial redesign.

Aheesa Digital Innovations is an Indian fabless semiconductor company focused on broadband networking and security solutions. Its VIHAAN platform is designed to support fibre broadband infrastructure as India continues to expand optical-fibre connectivity, 5G networks and broadband-based digital services.

A key feature of VIHAAN is its use of the VEGA microprocessor, an indigenous processor developed under India’s RISC-V initiative. The integration of domestic processor technology into a networking SoC strengthens India’s efforts to develop semiconductor intellectual property for critical digital infrastructure.

The latest achievement also highlights the growing role of government-backed semiconductor design programmes. VIHAAN has been developed with support from the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme, which is aimed at encouraging Indian companies and startups to develop semiconductor designs for strategic and commercial applications.

The DLI programme covers technologies relevant to several sectors, including telecommunications, satellite communications, drones, surveillance systems, defence and aerospace, automotive platforms, artificial intelligence, IoT and smart electronic systems.

The government said DLI-supported companies have collectively raised more than $100 million in venture capital funding and achieved 35 design tape-outs across different foundries. Semiconductor design tools have also been made available to 455 organisations, including startups and academic institutions, as part of India’s broader effort to expand domestic chip-design capabilities.

For Aheesa, the next major challenge will be moving VIHAAN from successful silicon validation towards production. The company is now targeting production tape-out in 2027, which would represent another important stage in the transition from an indigenous chip design to a commercially manufacturable product.

The company has also attracted investor support for its semiconductor ambitions. Earlier this year, Aheesa raised around ₹40 crore from the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation through the Tamil Nadu Emerging Sector Seed Fund, along with other private investors. The funding is intended to support product development and business growth.

VIHAAN’s progress is significant for India because semiconductor capability is increasingly viewed as an important component of technological and strategic autonomy. Domestic expertise in chip design can help Indian companies develop specialised solutions for communications, security, defence and other critical technology sectors.

While VIHAAN is primarily targeted at fibre broadband, the engineering capabilities developed through such projects can contribute to India’s wider semiconductor ecosystem. The successful first-pass silicon milestone therefore represents more than a single product achievement-it demonstrates the growing ability of Indian companies to develop and validate advanced semiconductor designs domestically.

With production tape-out targeted for 2027, the next phase of VIHAAN’s development will be closely watched as India continues its push to build a stronger indigenous semiconductor industry and reduce dependence on imported technology.