Daily Current Affairs: Army Tech, Indigenous Chips & Hydro Projects

📅 Date: 18 December 2025 (Thursday)

Welcome to your daily digest. Today, we focus on a massive leap in indigenous defence technology, a new milestone in Indian computing, and key infrastructure projects in Nepal.

1. Army Launches Ekam AI and SAMBHAV

Celebrating Vijay Diwas (observed on Dec 16 to mark the 1971 victory over Pakistan), the Indian Army showcased two major homegrown technologies to boost operational efficiency.

A. Ekam AI

This is a fully indigenous Artificial Intelligence platform.

Security: Designed for sensitive environments.
Independence: It allows document management and decision-making without relying on foreign software or external cloud systems.

B. SAMBHAV

SAMBHAV is a portable communication system.

Function: Provides mobile connectivity using satellite support.
Utility: Can be quickly deployed in remote or disaster-hit areas to ensure soldiers and civilians stay connected.

2. DHRUV64: India’s First Indigenous Microprocessor

In a major stride for the Make in India initiative, India has unveiled DHRUV64, a fully indigenous microprocessor.

💻 Tech Specs:

Developer: Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Microprocessor Development Programme (MDP).
Core: 64-bit dual-core processor.
Speed: 1.0 GHz.
Applications: 5G infrastructure, Automotive systems, IoT, and Strategic critical infrastructure.

3. Arun-3 Hydropower Project (India-Nepal)

Energy cooperation between India and Nepal continues to grow with the Arun-3 project.

Capacity: 900 MW (It will be the biggest hydroelectric facility in Nepal).
Location: Sankhuwasabha District, Eastern Nepal.
River: Arun River (A tributary of the Koshi River).
Developer: SJVN Arun-III Power Development Company (SAPDC) — a subsidiary of India’s SJVN.

⚡ Key Agreement:
The project is built on a BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) basis. Nepal will receive 21.9% of the electricity generated as free power for the first 25 years. The rest will be exported to Muzaffarpur, India.

4. Defence Update: Apache AH-64E

The AH-64E Apache (also known as the Apache Guardian) was in the news recently as a symbol of modern air combat capability.

Origin: United States.
Manufacturer: Boeing.
Status: It is considered the world’s most advanced multi-role combat helicopter.

Stay updated! For exams, focus on the "Indigenous" tag for DHRUV64 and Ekam AI, as national tech achievements are high-yield topics.