What Is RISC-V And How Does It Work?

What Is RISC-V?

First off, it's pronounced “risk-five.”

Secondly, RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) that’s based on the RISC principles (Reduced Instruction Set Computing).

RISC principles focus on simplistic functionality and speedy performance by using of a small set of simple, fast instructions, efficient register usage, and single-cycle execution (where instructions are done in 1 clock cycle) for most instructions.

Essentially, it defines a set of basic instructions that processors use to perform tasks and serves as the foundation for designing CPUs (central processing units). Unlike proprietary ISAs such as x86 or ARM, RISC-V is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and implement, without having to shell out on royalties.

In simple terms, it’s an open and freely available guideline that lays out how processors operate, ensuring they execute tasks using quick, simple, and efficient instructions.

As an open architecture, RISC-V enables developers to customize processors according to industry or customers’ specific needs. These needs could relate to high-performance computing, embedded systems, or ultra-low-power devices.

Imagine a classroom where the teacher (RISC-V) provides a clear and simple set of rules for students (processors) to follow. Instead of using long and complicated instructions, the teacher gives short, direct commands that students can quickly understand and act on. These simple directives would help the students complete their tasks fast and efficiently.

Looking at when RISC-V came into existence and how it’s evolved over time could help provide more perspective into why it’s so popular now. Let’s dive in!
 

Where Did RISC-V Come From?

It all began in 2010 as a project at the University of California, Berkeley. The goal of this project was to create a simple ISA that didn’t leave chip makers and electronics manufacturers stuck with commercial licensing restrictions.

This would allow them to use an open, royalty-free infrastructure for designing and building custom processors, while fostering unfettered innovation and comprehensive collaboration.

Fun fact 1: RISC-V was initially meant for academic use.

In 2015, the project was transferred to the newly formed RISC-V Foundation, which moved its headquarters to Switzerland in 2019. Ultimately, in 2020, the organization was named RISC-V International—which would operate as a Swiss non-profit entity.

Fun fact 2: The term RISC was coined in the 1980s by David Patterson, a computer scientist and academic.

In 2023, the Linux Foundation Europe founded the RISC-V Software Ecosystem (RISE), an initiative that came with the goal of boosting software designed for high-performance RISC-V processors across diverse markets. Here, initial founding members included NVIDIA, Samsung, Qualcomm, Google, Intel, Red Hat, NXP, and MediaTek.

Fun fact 3: The number five in RISC-V refers to the number of RISC generations developed at UC, Berkeley.


RISC-V's flexibility and cost-saving abilities are seeing its adoption increase every day, finding applicability in a wide range of industries including AI accelerators, embedded IoT (Internet of Things) devices, and more.

Scroll on to learn more about its applications!
 

What Are RISC-V's Key Applications?

RISC-V offers original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and microprocessor creators an open ecosystem to innovate, collaborate, and reduce costs when building various devices, machines and embedded systems. The key applications that RISC-V powers include:
 

• Consumer Electronics

  From smartphones to wearables, from smart TVs to VR headsets, RISC-V is enabling consumer electronics manufacturers to make new-age gadgets in a cost-effective manner.

• Internet of Things

  Highly energy-efficient processors powered by RISC-V technology is ideal for low-power applications like IoT and edge computing, bringing in highly customized designs. This works for individual IoT products as well as industrial IoT applications (IIoT).

• Automotive

  RISC-V is driving major innovations in the automotive industry by enabling customized, efficient computing solutions for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles.

• AI & ML

  Recent developments in the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) sectors are seeing companies build customized AI products and services, enhanced by RISC-V’s flexibility. It also helps them build AI-specific accelerators optimized for deep learning workloads.

• Data Centers

  Once again, RISC-V architecture’s energy efficiency and scalability is being used to power cloud computing data centers and supercomputers.

• Aerospace & Defense

  RISC-V's open nature and security make it ideal for mission-critical applications in space exploration and military technology.

By finding applicability in such diverse industries, it’s clear that RISC-V is popular among the locals of Processor Town. So, what advantages does this technology offer?

Let’s dig in!
 

What Are The Advantages Of RISC-V?

It’s clear that RISC-V is gaining prominence in the technology world, especially since it enables open, free, and flexible innovation for manufacturers. However, its advantages extend to more than just monetary benefits, and includes:
 

• Customization

  One of the most crucial advantages that RISC-V offers is that developers can add or remove features as required, which makes it suitable for numerous applications.

• Scalability

  A customizable, modular design comes with the ability to design processors tailored for diverse computing needs—from tiny microcontrollers to high-performance data center processors.

• Collaboration

  RISC-V is drawing contributions from the biggest companies and researchers in the technology sector (remember the RISC-V Software Ecosystem (RISE) initiative?). As such, this open-standard instruction set architecture (ISA) benefits from continuous improvement, latest innovation, and security enhancements.

• No Vendor Lock-ins

  RISC-V brings in a free-to-use and free-to-modify characteristic that provides designers and manufacturers with an alternative to proprietary ISAs such as ARM and x86, allowing them to develop their own processors without being dependent on suppliers.

• Energy Efficiency

  RISC-V's energy efficiency allows designers to tailor hardware and software for specific applications, optimizing power, performance, and area (PPA). This allows designers to cut down on costs and customize chips based on its usage.

• Open And Free

  Being open source and royalty-free is probably RISC-V's biggest advantage. Unlike proprietary ISAs, it doesn’t require licensing fees and can be used as the designers or manufacturer needs it to be.

 

Conclusion

Before we wrap up, we must address the fact that RISC-V is still in its early stages, especially when compared to dominant architectures like x86 and ARM. That being said, RISC-V is also seeing an increasing adoption rate across a wide range of industries, owing to the open, flexible, and cost-effective computing solutions it enables.

Coming back to the beginning, just like the red ooze unified communications in the Quantum Realm, RISC-V is unifying the hardware industry with its open approach. It’s enabling seamless collaboration, fostering customizable innovation, and redefining the future of computing—one instruction at a time.

Many believe that RISC-V is the future of chip design - what do you think? Let us know in the comments below!