The open-source revolution is expanding beyond software into hardware design. New microcontrollers from Microchip Technology and Espressif incorporate processors based on RISC-V—an open-source instruction set architecture challenging Arm’s dominance in connected devices.
RISC-V, pronounced “risk-five,” is based on established reduced instruction set computer (RISC) principles and allows anyone to design, manufacture, and sell RISC-V chips without paying licensing fees. This openness enables a new level of innovation and customization in processor design, attracting even bigger industry players like Nordic Semiconductor and NXP, and accelerating RISC-V-based product development and commercialization.
This shift towards open-source hardware architecture is a potential game-changer for embedded designers and developers, promising new possibilities in innovation, cost reduction, and product lifecycle control.
Democratizing Chip Design
There’s a lot happening right now in the Internet of Things (IoT) space. As I’ve recently discussed, a new breed of microcontrollers that pack immense computing power into tiny, low-cost chips is reshaping the sector. Not only can these chips handle complex data processing tasks and communicate seamlessly with other devices, but they’re empowering device makers to prefer open-source, real-time operating systems (RTOS).
Now, as these smarter chips lead to more flexible software ecosystems, other hardware evolutions are further democratizing the playing field. As touched upon, RISC-V and its open-source nature allow for unprecedented customization and optimization at the hardware level, enabling designers to create specialized processors for specific applications without starting from scratch.
End User Applications
Driven by RISC-V’s open-source model, this evolution eliminates licensing fees and provides free access to the instruction set architecture. This lowering of financial barriers empowers smaller players, including startups and small companies, to innovate in ways previously reserved for industry giants.
For example, a startup focusing on specialized devices for agriculture can now design custom chips tailored to their specific needs without incurring the high costs typically associated with proprietary architectures. They can optimize for low power consumption or integrate specific sensors directly into the chip design, potentially creating more efficient and cost-effective solutions for farmers.
This open approach is great news for fostering innovation in niche markets while also increasing competition across the broader semiconductor industry —a win-win for open and affordable solutions.
System Flexibility in Practice
It’s exciting to see major companies come on board and showcase the practical potential of RISC-V, addressing the challenges of building safe, efficient, and future-proof solutions with open-source hardware. These innovations are already helping developers meet complex requirements faster and at lower costs.
Take Microchip’s PolarFire System on Chip (SoC). By leveraging RISC-V, Microchip created a power-efficient, secure, and versatile platform for IoT applications. This chip supports everything from low-power devices to high-performance data processing systems, all while enabling hardware-enforced isolation for enhanced security.
Consider this application in an industrial setting. In modern factories, RISC-V processors power energy-efficient, low-cost edge devices that collect and pre-process data right on the shop floor. The customizable architecture allows for the optimization of specific industrial tasks, such as running local machine learning models for predictive maintenance. As a result, factories monitor and optimize their operations far more efficiently.
For these reasons and more, momentum is rapidly building behind RISC-V. The organization behind the architecture estimates that RISC-V will capture 10 percent of the automotive industry and 33 percent of IoT applications by next year. These figures underscore RISC-V’s growing impact and potential to reshape the IoT landscape—if it can overcome some initial growing pains.
Overcoming Ecosystem Hurdles
At the same time, there are some early challenges for the open-source hardware movement in bringing its potential to the next level. Established proprietary ecosystems boast mature development tools, extensive documentation, and support networks built over decades. These resources are crucial for efficient product development and can be a decisive factor for many companies when choosing a processor platform.
While foundational tools like GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) provide a strong starting point for RISC-V, the ecosystem still needs time in areas like real-time operating system support and optimized memory management. RISC-V, while growing rapidly, is still building.
Developers face a steeper learning curve and fewer readily available resources compared to proprietary alternatives. Additionally, the fragmentation inherent in open-source projects can lead to compatibility issues and increased complexity in the short term.
Learning to Adapt
It’s worth noting that incumbent players aren’t standing still. Arm, for instance, recently announced ambitious plans to capture half of the world’s PC market over the next five years, signaling its intent to aggressively defend and expand its territory. This competition could potentially slow RISC-V adoption in certain sectors.
Meeting and beating these obstacles will require sustained effort from the RISC-V community to develop comprehensive tools, standardize implementations, and build a stronger support network. But, if successful, the rewards are substantial.
From democratizing chip design to enabling more efficient and secure devices, RISC-V promises a new era of end-to-end customization and optimization in hardware design across industries. As the RISC-V community continues to mature, it will become increasingly clear to what extent this open-source evolution will guide IoT development and devices in the coming years. While obstacles remain, the momentum is building.