Qualcomm and Google join forces to bring RISC-V chips to the Wear OS wearable platform

Recently, Qualcomm formally announced its collaboration with Google to construct a wearable solution grounded in the RISC-V architecture, intended for deployment within Google’s Wear OS platform. Qualcomm asserts that this malleable framework paves the way for the adoption of custom CPUs within the ecosystem, characterized by both low power consumption and exceptional performance. As the preeminent chipset provider for the Wear OS ecosystem, Qualcomm and Google shall persist in their investments in the extant Snapdragon Wear platform.

“Qualcomm Technologies have been a pillar of the Wear OS ecosystem, providing high performance, low power systems for many of our OEM partners,” said Bjorn Kilburn, GM of Wear OS by Google. “We are excited to extend our work with Qualcomm Technologies and bring a RISC-V wearable solution to market.”

“We are excited to leverage RISC-V and expand our Snapdragon Wear platform as a leading silicon provider for Wear OS.  Our Snapdragon Wear platform innovations will help the Wear OS ecosystem rapidly evolve and streamline new device launches globally,” said Dino Bekis, vice president and general manager, Wearables and Mixed Signal Solutions, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Worth noting, Qualcomm and Google, in tandem with other industry vanguards, recently spearheaded the launch of the RISC-V Software Ecosystem (RISE) to expedite the development of RISC-V software. Furthermore, this past August, Qualcomm heralded a collaborative venture with an array of European industrial titans to inaugurate a firm dedicated to the research and development of RISC-V chips.

To conclude their announcement, Qualcomm intimated that details regarding the commercial launch timeline for this RISC-V wearable solution will be unveiled in due course.