How is RISC-V revolutionising hardware development?

"Back from retirement and ready to innovate," announced Alexander Kocher from Quintauris, a company founded by semiconductor companies such as Robert Bosch and Infineon. At this year's Automotive Electronics Congress, Kocher shared exciting insights into the future of hardware development with RISC-V. Here we have summarised some of his key points.

What is RISC-V and why is it important?

RISC-V is an open standard for instruction set architectures that is licence-free and customisable. This enables the flexible and cost-efficient development of microprocessors for a wide range of applications. According to Kocher, RISC-V offers enormous advantages for the semiconductor industry, as it promotes innovation and enables sustainable industrialisation. "Open standards such as RISC-V are the key to the next generation of hardware development," explained Kocher.

How does Quintauris support the automotive industry?

Quintauris is initially focussing on the automotive market and developing reference architectures for RISC-V processors that are specifically tailored to the requirements of this industry. "Our goal is to create a trusted and competitive alternative to existing technologies," said Kocher. By providing consulting and certification services, Quintauris ensures that its solutions meet the high safety and performance standards of the automotive industry.

What are the main advantages of RISC-V for the industry?

ISC-V offers the industry several decisive advantages, which Alexander Kocher from Quintauris explained in detail at this year's electronics trade fair.

• Open standard and freedom from patents

A key advantage of RISC-V is that it is an open standard without patent restrictions. Any developer or company can use and adapt the technology without having to pay licence fees. Hans Müller emphasised: "RISC-V is an open standard, which means that it is accessible to everyone. There are no patents that could restrict growth and innovation."

• Adaptability and expandability

RISC-V enables developers to customise their microprocessors specifically to the requirements of their applications. The architecture is modular and offers various extensions that can be activated as required. "With RISC-V, we can optimise the microprocessors precisely for the desired applications," explained Müller. One example of this is the vector extensions, which are specially optimised for the calculation of vector operations.

• Cost and energy efficiency

Another important advantage of RISC-V is its cost and energy efficiency. By optimising the architecture, developers can create powerful and energy-efficient processors. This is particularly important in the automotive industry, where energy efficiency and performance are crucial factors. "RISC-V offers outstanding performance with reduced energy consumption, which makes it ideal for the automotive industry," says Müller.

• Growing global ecosystem

Thanks to the open nature of RISC-V, the global network of supporters and developers is constantly growing. This creates a dynamic and innovative environment in which new ideas and technologies can be developed and implemented more quickly. "The growing ecosystem of RISC-V strengthens the entire industry," explained Müller.

• Scalability and performance

In the semiconductor industry, it is crucial to find a balance between performance, area and energy consumption. RISC-V offers great advantages here thanks to its scalable architecture and the possibility of specific optimisation. "In manufacturing, we really need to scale and try to get more performance in a smaller space," said Müller.

• Resilience to global challenges

RISC-V also offers increased resilience to global challenges such as geopolitical disruptions and supply chain problems. "With RISC-V, we can develop robust and flexible systems that meet the requirements of today's globalised world," emphasised Müller.

What does the future hold for Quintauris and RISC-V?

The future of Quintauris and RISC-V looks promising. Quintauris will specify reference architectures for RISC-V processors, initially focussing on the automotive market. The company plans to offer services to ensure compliance and safety standards to ensure resilience and long-term support. By fostering competition and innovation, RISC-V will lay the foundation for the next generation of processors and technology solutions.