UPSC Prelims 2026 GS Paper I · Q79 of 98 General Science medium

Which of the following statements about DHRUV64 is/are correct ? 1. It is the third chip fabricated under the DIR-V Programme with an overall aim to enable the creation of microprocessors for India. 2. It is India’s first homegrown 1·0 GHz, 64-bit dual-core microprocessor. Select the answer using the code given below :

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2 ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Why the answer is (c)

• DIR-V (Digital India RISC-V) is the Ministry of Electronics and IT programme to build indigenous microprocessors on the open RISC-V architecture, drawing on IIT Madras's Shakti and C-DAC's Vega families.

• Statement 1 is correct: DHRUV64 is the third chip fabricated under DIR-V, following earlier Shakti/Vega-based silicon, with the programme's overall aim of enabling microprocessors for India.

• Statement 2 is correct: DHRUV64 is India's first homegrown 64-bit dual-core processor running at 1.0 GHz, developed by C-DAC and fabricated at the Semi-Conductor Laboratory, Mohali, and meant for use in networking, IoT and strategic applications.

• Indigenous processors reduce dependence on imported chips and address supply-chain and security concerns.

• Hence both 1 and 2, option (c).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 only
Statement 2 is also correct: DHRUV64 is the first indigenous 1 GHz 64-bit dual-core processor.
(b) 2 only
Statement 1 is also correct: it is the third DIR-V chip.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Both statements correctly describe DHRUV64.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026, held on 24 May 2026. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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