- Aheesa Digital Innovations has achieved first-pass silicon success for its indigenous broadband networking System-on-Chip (SoC), VIHAAN, marking a significant milestone for India’s domestic semiconductor design ecosystem.
- The first-pass silicon success indicates that the chip functioned successfully during its initial fabrication attempt, potentially reducing redesign cycles, development time, and costs.
- VIHAAN has been developed under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme for high-throughput and secure broadband applications.
- The SoC is built on the open-standard RISC-V architecture and incorporates the indigenous 64-bit VEGA processor developed by C-DAC.
- Aheesa taped out the VIHAAN design on Republic Day and achieved first-pass silicon success on Independence Day this year.
- The company is now preparing for production tape-out planned for 2027.
- VIHAAN is designed to reduce India’s dependence on imported networking silicon while supporting the development of domestically manufactured broadband equipment.
- VIHAAN is designed to receive internet data through GPON and EPON fibre 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.
- The chip integrates hardware-level security features, including a hardware root of trust, secure boot, and cryptographic engines to protect firmware and network traffic.
- Aheesa’s Router OS (AROS), based on OpenWrt, provides software support for integration with routers, modems, access points, and other networking equipment.
- VIHAAN’s integrated architecture combines broadband connectivity, computing, and memory functions on a single chip.
- The development is expected to strengthen India’s indigenous chip-design capabilities and improve supply-chain resilience.
Chennai-based Aheesa Digital Innovations has achieved a significant milestone with its first-pass silicon success for the indigenous broadband networking System-on-Chip (SoC), VIHAAN. This achievement, supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme, is pivotal for India's semiconductor design ecosystem.12378
The VIHAAN chip is designed for high-throughput and secure broadband applications, including Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployments and broadband routers. Built on the open-standard RISC-V architecture, it incorporates the indigenous 64-bit VEGA processor developed by C-DAC. The chip aims to reduce India's dependence on imported networking silicon while fostering the development of domestically manufactured broadband equipment.4
The first-pass silicon success indicates that the chip functioned successfully during its initial fabrication attempt, potentially reducing redesign cycles, development time, and costs. Aheesa taped out the VIHAAN design on Republic Day and achieved this success on Independence Day this year.5
The 64-bit VEGA core supports high-speed packet processing, routing, traffic inspection, and firewall functions, while integrating hardware-level security features to protect firmware and network traffic. Aheesa is now preparing for production tape-out in 2027, with plans to enhance its semiconductor design capabilities further. The company has raised around Rs 40 crore this year from the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation and other private investors to support product development and expansion.6910
According to reports, startups supported through the DLI Scheme have collectively completed over 30 chip design tape-outs and attracted more than $100 million in venture capital investment, highlighting the growing importance of chip design in the semiconductor industry.
“The VIHAAN SoC, built on RISC-V with C-DAC's 64-bit VEGA processor, targets FTTH and broadband routers to cut import reliance. Aheesa raised around ₹40 crore from Tamil Nadu funds, and DLI-supported startups have completed over 30 tape-outs attracting $100 million in VC investment.”
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