Why RISC-V?

By Adam Kimmel 

Fierce competition for processor market share dictated ISAs throughout the 1980s and 90s. Sensing the potential for exploding opportunities created by the internet, companies pushed to develop the optimal architecture and create a wall of intellectual property to protect their competitive advantage. The technology’s standards were proprietary, creating a narrow set of construction methods from which the market could choose. The handful of innovators on the leading edge of this movement built empires around their solutions, levying licensing fees, and collecting royalties from competitors who used their technology. 

In 2010, it became clear that these constraints hindered progress and limited innovation to the select few who paced the market. Inventors determined that they needed to develop a free, open-source ISA to realize the internet’s full, unconstrained opportunities. They termed the architecture RISC-V.  

The founders knew that the open-source RISC-V was the key to standardizing communication pathways between software and hardware. Without being bound by proprietary details, companies could come together into a cohesive community to move the entire industry forward. This community creates innovation in processors, hardware, and software transparent communication. The open platform allows global and academic partners into the group, and members share learnings and eliminate redundant development expenditures. 

One of the largest open-source projects in history, RISC-V has created a community committed to the shared vision of the proliferation, viability, and adoption of RISC-V. The 750-member consortium rebukes the historical paradigm of exclusivity to challenge companies on why they are not already using RISC-V. Disruptive innovation cannot happen under constraints; with handcuffs removed, innovators are free to focus solely on clearing the next hurdle. 

The shortest path to disruptive change is by widescale market adoption of RISC-V. This eBook explores the business and technical case for RISC-V, along with enablers and applications like security, toolchain, Linux, and gateways.  

With so much industry momentum, an exponentially growing community, and the freedom to create without fear of losing unique expertise, RISC-V is a critical technology in commercializing 5G, IoT, and AI. Bolstered by a community that shares a vision and supports transparent idea sharing, RISC-V accelerates innovation limited only by the engineer’s imagination.