Relevance: GS-3 (Science and Technology)

Source: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Context

India has launched DHRUV64, its first fully indigenous one gigahertz, sixty-four bit, dual-core microprocessor, developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Microprocessor Development Programme.

What the Processor Offers

• Based on an open, royalty-free instruction set architecture, allowing India to design advanced chips without depending on foreign licences.
• Can be used in automobiles, communication systems, household electronics, industrial machines and internet-enabled devices.
• Adds strength to India’s goal of building a self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem.

Significance

Reduces strategic dependence on imported chips and supports domestic innovation in electronics and digital infrastructure.

UPSC Prelims Value Box

• Open instruction set architecture: A publicly available set of instructions that anyone can use to design processors without paying licence fees.
• Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC): The national body leading processor design under the Microprocessor Development Programme of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Prelims Practice Question

Q. With reference to DHRUV64, consider the following statements:

1. It is India’s first indigenous sixty-four bit, dual-core microprocessor.
2. It is based on an open instruction architecture that does not require foreign licensing.
3. It has been designed only for supercomputers and cannot be used in everyday electronic devices.

How many statements are correct?

A. One only
B. Two only
C. All three
D. None