MIT Technology Review annually compiles a list of key technology breakthroughs that “will have a big impact on our lives.” This year’s list includes tech advances such as:
- Gene editing
- AI-created images
- Electric vehicles
The list also includes a perhaps surprising entry: the RISC-V open standard for chip design.
“The chip industry is undergoing a profound shift. Manufacturers have long licensed chip designs from a few big firms. Now, a popular open standard called RISC-V is upending those power dynamics by making it easier for anyone to create a chip,” says the report.
Sophia Chen explains further: “RISC-V specifies design norms for a computer chip’s instruction set. … About 3,100 members worldwide, including companies and academic institutions, are now collaborating via the nonprofit RISC-V International to establish and develop these norms,” Chen says.
“Aside from cost and customizability, RISC-V (pronounced “risk-five”) benefits from being a modern, elegantly designed architecture without the baggage of legacy code,” says Eric Brown. “Along with the open development environment, the modern design appeals to developers, who are increasingly crucial to success.”
“RISC-V chips have already begun to pop up in earbuds, hard drives, and AI processors, with 10 billion cores already shipped,” says Chen. “Companies are also working on RISC-V designs for data centers and spacecraft. In a few years, RISC-V proponents predict, the chips will be everywhere.”
See also:
Intel Makes Massive Investment in RISC-V by FOSSlife
Understanding the Global Chip Shortage by FOSSlife
What is RISC-V? by Eric Brown
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