BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- At a recent high-tech conference in Beijing, a white, four-tiered delivery robot nimbly navigated through attendees, providing exhibition materials and bottled water like an experienced waiter.
While it may appear ordinary, the robot is unique inside: it's powered by a RISC-V processor and operates on the open-source openEuler operating system. The robot's flexible dynamic navigation showcases the practical commercial potential in complex environments of the fifth generation of the Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC-V), a design approach that utilizes simplified architecture for CPUs.
"The openness and scalability of the RISC-V architecture naturally aligns with the highly contextual needs of intelligent robots," said Wang Yunzhi, chairman of the robot's developer DROID.
Facing the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and increased demand for its applications, Chinese companies are embracing an ethos of openness and cooperation to enhance their presence in the RISC-V sector, promoting related technologies and applications to enrich the ecosystem of the emerging open-source technology.
Originally introduced in 2010, RISC-V is known for its advantages such as being free and open-source, design flexibility and low power consumption. "RISC-V is more than just an architecture; it represents a vision for an open, collaborative and innovative ecosystem," said Lu Dai, board chair of the RISC-V International.
The spirit of open source has been woven into the fabric of China's history, said Ni Guangnan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, adding that open-source models and technologies are now flourishing in the country, becoming a powerful driving force for technological innovation.
Although RISC-V has been around for only 15 years, its status within the global chip supply chain continues to rise, and related chips are projected to capture 25 percent of the market share by 2030.
In recent years, Chinese firms, along with the rapid development of AI, have expanded presence along the RISC-V industrial chain, ranging from chip design to application promotion, and from open-source communities to industry alliances.
In 2019, Chinese tech giant Alibaba's DAMO Academy launched the RISC-V-based XuanTie processors. XuanTie's highest-performing processor C930, which combines general high-performance computing power with AI capabilities, was announced to begin delivery in March this year.
In late February, the Institute of Computing Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Beijing Institute of Open Source Chip unveiled a subsystem solution for open-source high-performance RISC-V CPU. Last year, the CAS's Institute of Software, in collaboration with the DAMO Academy's XuanTie team, launched a laptop based on RISC-V architecture.
"The AI software stack is evolving rapidly, and RISC-V, as the most flexible and open of the three main instruction set architectures, is undoubtedly best suited to the pace of technological innovation in the AI era," said Guo Songliu, a RISC-V expert at the Institute of Software of CAS.
To build an open, collaborative and inclusive RISC-V chip service system and accelerate its industrialization, DAMO Academy established an industrial alliance in 2024. Currently, over 10 domestic and foreign companies, including Cadence and Siemens EDA, have joined the alliance.
As enterprises ramp up their efforts, some Chinese cities are also accelerating research and application of RISC-V technologies. Haidian District, a high-tech hub in Beijing, has proposed to establish an agile design platform for RISC-V chips, targeting smart IoT chips, automotive-grade chips, security chips and more. In Shanghai's integrated circuit design industrial park, an industrial cluster area has been dedicated to attract RISC-V-related firms.
Bao Yungang, chief scientist at the Beijing Institute of Open Source Chip, noted that there is still a long way to go before the RISC-V sector embraces its "DeepSeek moment."
"The related software and hardware ecosystem has to be further enriched, and that entails more talents and closer cooperation," Bao said. ■
