IIT-M ties up with digital firm for space research

IIT-M is partnering with Thales to design a SHAKTI RISC-V processor compatible with the highest safety critical standards. The collaboration will result in defining and prototyping a SHAKTI RISC-V based processor suitable for mix-criticality applications, including safety critical applications.

As a result of this tie-up, a fault-tolerant SHAKTI framework will be developed to undergo evaluation by the world’s top experts in safety critical standards. Pursuant to their approval, it can be used in sensitive equipment in defence, aerospace, space, and transportation sectors.

Thales designs and builds electronic systems for aerospace, space, transportation, security and defence. Thales will draw on its expertise in the security and dependability of critical embedded systems to establish security best practices for hardware development. The ultimate objective is to improve the security and dependability of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, embedded systems and machine learning implementations.

IIT-M researchers recently designed, fabricated and booted up India’s first indigenously-developed RISC V Microprocessor - SHAKTI. The SHAKTI family of processors are targeted for mobile computing devices, embedded low power wireless systems and networking systems besides reducing reliance on imported microprocessors in Communications and Defence Sectors. The Microprocessor can be used by others as it meets international standards.

Lead researcher professor Kamakoti Veezhinathan, Reconfigurable Intelligent Systems Engineering (RISE) Laboratory, department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT-M, said, “With the advent of more and more safety critical systems adopting electronics hardware for intricate control and monitoring, fault-tolerance and security features are of prime importance in the next generation processors.”