From Bengaluru emerges India’s largest chip validation hub, as C-DAC promises faster design cycles, lower costs, and stronger semiconductor innovation.
The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has inaugurated an advanced pre-silicon validation facility in Bengaluru, known as PRITVI-ACE (Platform for Reconfigurable Integrated Testing and Validation of IPs – Advanced Chip Evaluation).
The new platform has been designed to accelerate chip design and prototyping at near-silicon speeds. Developed under the National Semiconductor Mission and India Semiconductor Mission, PRITVI-ACE is being hailed as India’s largest FPGA-based prototyping installation, with a capacity equivalent to 2.4 billion ASIC gates.
The facility was formally opened by S Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in the presence of senior officials and industry representatives.
According to C-DAC officials, the platform enables end-to-end validation, from individual IP blocks to full system-level designs, well before fabrication. This includes early operating system boot, firmware and driver testing, protocol compliance checks, and performance benchmarking at near-real-world speeds. Such capabilities are expected to improve first-silicon success rates and reduce chip designers’ development costs. The system can accommodate designs with up to 48-core high-performance CPUs, providing flexibility for complex architectures.
PRITVI-ACE supports validation across a wide range of technologies, including multi-core CPUs, GPUs, AI accelerators, high-speed interconnects, and chiplet-based designs. It also provides a data-centre-class, multi-user infrastructure, enabling realistic performance evaluation and collaborative use by multiple stakeholders.
C-DAC noted that as a shared national resource, the facility is expected to shorten design cycles and strengthen India’s transition towards a product-driven semiconductor ecosystem.
Furthermore, by addressing the growing complexity of modern VLSI systems, PRITVI-ACE positions India to compete more effectively in advanced chip development and reinforces its commitment to indigenous innovation in strategic technology.
