At Semicon India 2026, Aheesa Digital Innovations, backed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT’s Design Linked Incentive scheme, presented Vihaan‑I, India’s inaugural indigenously designed broadband chip, in the presence of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The chip’s development timeline is tied to national milestones, having been taped out on Republic Day, 26 January 2026, and achieving first‑pass silicon success on Independence Day, 15 August 2026. “Unveiling Vihaan‑I in the presence of Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw… was a proud moment for everyone at Aheesa,” said Sridharan Mani, Founder and CEO. “With Vihaan‑I, we have a working silicon designed in India, by an Indian team, for India's networks,” added Saket Singh, Director & Chief Growth Officer.
Vihaan‑I integrates the core functions of internet equipment found in homes and offices onto a single Indian‑designed chip, built on the open‑standard RISC‑V architecture and powered by C‑DAC’s indigenous VEGA processor. It serves as a Made‑in‑India alternative to the imported silicon that currently powers most of the country’s telecom and broadband networks. At the event, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined the six pillars of Semicon 2.0, naming chip design as the first pillar, and highlighted Vihaan‑I as a working example of the design‑led, indigenous milestone the mission aims to achieve, embodying the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.
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Aheesa is now advancing toward commercialization, targeting an early 2027 launch. The company has secured a packaging MoU with Optilink Networks to support product development from prototyping through packaging, and a distribution partnership with Zigma Technologies India. The firm, a DPIIT‑recognised fabless semiconductor headquartered in Chennai and founded in 2021, also received investment from the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation via the TNESSF in 2026, reinforcing its commitment to building long‑term technology capability across broadband, telecom, and cybersecurity domains.
