IIIT Delhi and Thales Sign MoU on Open Hardware Research and Development

IIIT Delhi and Thales signed an agreement for collaborative research and development in the field of Open Hardware and other allied subjects. The collaboration will enable co-development of complex microprocessor architectures and multi-core processing systems using configurations available with the RISC-V open ISA specification. These systems will bring value to applications in areas such as edge computing, smart manufacturing, defence and space.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Marko Erman, chief scientific officer of Thales, Philippe Valery, VP technical operations - Research and Technology of Thales, Ashish Saraf, VP and country director of Thales in India, Satish Menon, head of Thales’ Engineering Competence Centre in Bengaluru, and Prof. Ranjan Bose, director IIIT Delhi,  Prof. Mukesh Mohania, Dean of IRD IIIT Delhi, Dr. Sujay Deb, associate professor, IIIT Delhi, who will also act as the principle investigator for the research project. Through this association, Thales and IIIT Delhi will collaboratively address safety issues in designing processors and embedded software for critical applications using open source hardware approach. The activities will commence from August 2021 and will be carried out in phases.

“We are delighted to join hands with an esteemed institution such as IIIT Delhi. This partnership comes at an opportune time when technological advancements are fast shaping the world around us. It will draw on the expertise of Thales and scientific talent of IIIT Delhi to enhance research and development in the area of open hardware and related subjects, and contribute to the rich innovation eco-system in India,” Ashish Saraf, VP and country director of Thales in India said.

While wishing success to the implementation of the MoU, the director IIIT Delhi, Prof. Ranjan Bose said, “I am both happy and excited about the signing of the MoU today and the potential it holds for a very productive collaboration between IIITD and Thales.  This collaboration is unique because of the problem-first approach and will leverage complementary skill sets from both sides.  This is a long-term strategic partnership and also a step towards strengthening Indo-French collaboration and cooperation.” In India, Thales has also formed partnerships with IISc Bangalore, IIT Madras, Bombay and Delhi.