RISC-V processor shipments projected to reach 16 billion RISC-V chips in 2030

RISC-V, as an open standard instruction set architecture, offers unfettered access under an open-source license. It boasts a basic instruction set with 32-bit fixed-length, naturally aligned instructions and supports variable-length extensions. Its applications have proliferated, ranging from small embedded systems to large, rack-mounted parallel computers.

Recently, at the RISC-V Summit, Calista Redmond, CEO of RISC-V International, projected a remarkable ascent for RISC-V, with a compound annual growth rate of 40% over the coming years, estimating that by 2030, the world could see upwards of 16 billion RISC-V chips in circulation. With approximately one billion RISC-V chips currently in existence, this forecast signifies a substantial increase in distribution over the next decade.

Redmond highlighted that there are already several billion RISC-V cores worldwide, and analysts have pointed out the rarity of finding new designs that do not incorporate the RISC-V architecture, signifying it as one of the most profound technological revolutions of our time.

Commonly found in microcontrollers, RISC-V has been adopted by giants like Qualcomm for use in their mobile system chips. The rapid expansion of RISC-V can be attributed to numerous enterprises leveraging it to develop artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing solutions. As time progresses, it’s anticipated that RISC-V technology will continue to broaden its horizon, potentially extending into the realm of GPU applications.

For RISC-V architecture processors to effectively compete with established Arm/x86 architecture processors, a more robust software and hardware ecosystem is essential. Both sectors are currently evolving rapidly. RISC-V has garnered support from over 4,000 software development companies worldwide, and the industry has introduced a plethora of mainboard products tailored for software and hardware designers.