Awards & Competitions
AICTE-Hardware Challenge Using Microprocessors

AICTE-Hardware Challenge Using Microprocessors

About AICTE-Hardware Challenge Using Microprocessors

It is pleased to inform you that, inspired by the government’s #Atma Nirbhar Bharat Vision, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has announced the Hardware Challenge under Microprocessor Development Programme, in consultation with the participating institutions i.e. C-DAC, IIT Madras & IIT Bombay. This is as a step towards achieving the self-reliance in the hardware domain with the following broad contours:

1. Hardware Challenge using Microprocessors has been announced on 15th August 2020 for an overall duration of 10 months with a total award amount of Rs. 4.30 Crore earmarked in different phases, to inculcate the culture of taking up the complex designs in the country around indigenous processors of C-DAC (VEGA processors) & IIT Madras (SHAKTI processors).

2. Participation in proposed Hardware Challenge: Will be sought not only from engineering college students (B.Tech/ M.Tech/ PhD level) but also from the Start-ups working in this area, in line with the objective of achieving a horizontal spread of this technology. All efforts will be made to disseminate the information & reach out to masses and involve the participation of all stakeholders in this Challenge.

3. Roadmap for engaging stakeholders & information dissemination: Respective websites of C-DAC ( http://vegaprocessors.in/hwchallenge.html ) & IIT Madras ( https://shakti.org.in/gc2020-shakti.html ) have already been developed for providing information on Embedded / Controller class of SHAKTI/ VEGA processors & associated Hw/ Sw ported on Xilinx FPGA Boards.

4. The other detailed information on the proposed Hardware Challenge as Background Note (like- Stages of Challenge, Award amount, roles & responsibility, etc) is attached herewith. For more information, please visit: http://vegaprocessors.in/hwchallenge.html, https://shakti.org.in/gc2020-shakti.html

Through this Challenge, the efforts are being made to touch base with all young innovators/ entrepreneurs and facilitate them tinkering with our Swadeshi Processors and also let them innovate the frugal solutions for societal issues. In view of the above, you are requested to kindly disseminate this information among faculty members and students (current & pass-outs both) as a step towards achieving the self-reliance in the hardware domain in the country.

Eligible Participants:

(a) Indian students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate & Doctoral degrees with Indian engineering colleges. Teams of not more than 5 students and 2 faculty members.

(b) Start-ups

All Applicants meeting the Eligibility Criteria are expected to register on or before 15th September 2020. Teams completing the registration process will enter to the Quarter Finals Phase.

For more details refer the Information Document : Hardware_Challenge