RISC-V is among MIT Technology Review's Top 10 Breakthrough Technologies for 2023. You can see the rest of this list here.
Python, Java and C++, R. Over the past seven decades, humans have created many programming languages, largely mishmashes English words and mathematical symbol, to command transistors to perform our bidding.
However, the silicon switches inside your laptop's central processing unit don't automatically understand the word "for" and the symbol "=." In order for a chip to execute your Python program, software must translate these symbols and words into instructions that a chip can use.
Engineers create binary sequences that prompt hardware to do certain actions. For example, code 100000 could instruct a chip add two numbers while code 100100 could request it to copy some data. These binary sequences are the fundamental vocabulary of the chip, also known as the computer’s instruction set.
The chip industry relies on a range of proprietary instruction sets for years. Today, there are two main types of instruction sets on the market: x86 (used by Intel and AMD) and Arm (made by the same company). These instruction sets must be licensed by companies, which can run into the millions for one design. Software developers need to create a version of each app that is compatible with the different instruction sets, because Arm and x86 chips use different languages.
RISC-V is a widely used instruction set that has been embraced by many software and hardware companies around the world. This could have a profound impact on the future of the chip industry. Proponents of RISC-V claim that this instruction set makes computer chip development more affordable for smaller companies and budding entrepreneurs, by removing them from expensive licensing fees.
Mark Himelstein (CTO of RISC-V International), a non-profit supporting the technology, stated that there are billions of RISC-V-based Cores already out there.
Intel pledged $1B to help develop the RISCV ecosystem in February 2022. Himelstein believes it will take a while before RISC–V chips are common among personal computers. However, the Roma laptop by Xcalibyte, DeepComputing and Roma was available for pre-order in June.
What's RISC-V?
RISCV (pronounced "risk five") can be thought of as a set design norms for computer chips. It is also known as an "open standards" which means that anyone can participate in the development and maintenance of these standards. Anyone can also design a computer chip based upon RISC-V instruction sets. These chips will then be able execute any software that is designed for RISC–V. Open standards are generally used to refer to technology specifications. However, "open source" is generally used to mean software whose source code can be freely accessed for reference and use.
RISC-V was developed by computer scientists from UC Berkeley in 2010. It is a teaching tool that allows chip designers to design their own chips. Students couldn't learn from the proprietary central processing units (CPUs). The instruction set was made public by RISC-V's founders, who soon began receiving questions about it. To standardize the instruction set, RISC-V International was founded by a number of companies and academic institutions, including Google and IBM.
The most basic version RISC-V contains 47 instructions. These include commands to load a number from the memory or to add numbers together. RISC-V offers additional instructions, called extensions. These allow you to add features like vector math to run AI algorithms.
Eric Mejdrich, a Belgian research institute that focuses on nanoelectronics, says that RISC-V allows you to design a chip’s instruction set to meet your needs.
Companies that needed CPUs in the past bought pre-made chips. This was because it was too costly and time-consuming to develop them from scratch. These chips were often used for simple devices like kitchen appliances or alarms. They also had additional features that could slow down the appliance's performance or cause it to waste power.
Himelstein cites Bluetrum, a Chinese earbud company, as a RISC–V success story. Earbuds do not require a lot of computing power, so the company was able to design simple chips using RISC-V instructions. Himelstein says that if they hadn't used RISCV, they would either have to purchase a commercial chip with a lot less [capability] or would have to create their own chips or instruction sets. They didn't want any of these."
Mejdrich says RISC-V "lowers the barrier to entry" for chip design. RISC-V advocates offer workshops on how to make a CPU based upon RISC-V. People who create their own RISC-V chip designs can submit them to be made free of charge through a partnership between Google and SkyWater (semiconductor manufacturer) and Efabless, chip design platform.
What's next in RISC-V?
Ventana Micro Systems' CEO Balaji Baktha is a Bay Area startup that designs chips based upon RISC-V to support data centers. These chips can perform calculations faster and with less energy, according to Baktha. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers account for approximately 1% of global electricity consumption in 2021. This figure has been increasing over the past few years. Baktha believes that RISC-V chips can help reduce this footprint.
However, Intel's and Arm's chips are still popular and it isn't yet clear if RISC-V designs can replace them. The Roma supports all versions of Linux (the operating system that was released in the 1990s and which helped to drive the open-source revolution), so companies will need to convert their existing software to be RISCV-compatible. RISC-V users need to be aware of developments that "bifurcate" the ecosystem, says Mejdrich. For example, if someone develops a version RISC-V which is popular but incompatible with the original software.
RISC-V International has to deal with geopolitical tensions, which are not in line with its open philosophy. They were originally based in the US but faced criticism from lawmakers about how RISC-V could lead to the US losing its edge in the semiconductor sector and making Chinese companies more competitive. The nonprofit moved to Switzerland in 2020 to avoid these tensions.
Himelstein predicts that the movement will be inspired by Linux in the future. The hope is that RISC-V can make it easier for more people bring their ideas to life for new technologies. He says, "In the end you're going see much more innovative products."
Sophia Chen is a science journalist who lives in Columbus, Ohio. She covers computing and physics. She was the science communicator at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, University of California, Berkeley, in 2022.
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By: Sophia Chen
Title: These simple design rules could turn the chip industry on its head
Sourced From: www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/24/1064974/riscv-chip-design-10-breakthough-technologies-2023/
Published Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2023 10:00:00 +0000
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