2y ago

Linux Foundation and big tech back RISC-V software ecosystem

www.theregister.com Linux Foundation and friends back RISC-V software ecosystem

Aiming to get a RISE out of processor architecture as tech giants commit engineering talent

Linux foundation and a number of big names in tech commit top talent and invest on RISC-V. The companies that support this initiative are, among others, Google, Intel, MediaTek, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Red Hat, Samsung, SiFive, etc.

10 comments

I'd love to run a RISC-V desktop one day.
- That's the dream. Based on RISC-V, a whole open hardware system working with free software, without bloatware and similar nonsense could become available.
  Perhaps, it would be a laptop since most/all RISC-V designs are far more efficient than the best ARM.
  
  Efficiency is a slippery slope. My laptop is currently incredible efficient, because it's sleeping with a closed lid. But overall - yes. Laptops would probably be the first foray into consumer electronics, as it's acceptable for laptops to not have top performance.

I can't wait to have all my systems on riscV
- That's the dream! Having systems that are free in every sense.
  
  Now, let's be clear, RISC-V is a loose definition of an instruction set. It's free in the sense that you don't need a license to design a CPU that uses it. However the actual CPU designs are no more free than any other ISA, they will be closely guarded IP of the companies that design them.
  Also, since RISC-V includes a minimal base set (truly minimal of like 50 instructions that doesn't even implement multiplication and division) and a large number of optional extensions and freedom to create new extensions, software compiled to one RISC-V processor doesn't necessarily run on another. Hence, "ecosystem" people talk about might not happen.

10 comments