Arm vs. RISC-V – Heel nipping

RISC-V wins blue-chip backing.

• In announcing some higher-end RISC-V-based processors and winning support from Intel, SiFive has improved the credibility of RISC-V when it comes to challenging Arm in more than just low-end microprocessors.
• That being said, RISC-V and its proponents have an odyssey to undertake before it has a hope of challenging the scale and breadth of the semiconductor ecosystem that Arm has built over the last 20 years.
• SiFive is a silicon chip designer that takes the open-source RISC-V processor IP and builds on top of it to produce a processor that clients can license as alternatives to the range of processors offered by Arm.
• RISC-V is typical of many open-source offerings in that you get what you pay for which in the case of the RISC-V IP, is not very much.
• Hence, to make a processor, a lot of work is required to build on top of the IP which is where SiFive comes in.
• In many ways, SiFive is much like Arm except that it does not own the core IP that it bases its processors on unlike Arm.
• Historically, RISC-V has seen traction at the very low-end microprocessor market has volume but very little value.
• However, RISC-V and its proponents are now having a go at the higher end of the market.
• SiFive has announced a new processor family aimed at higher performance with two new cores.
• These are the P270 which is Linux capable and the P550 which it claims is comparable to “proprietary solutions” (i.e. Arm) in the application processors used in consumer devices.
• On its own, this announcement would cause only passing interest but it goes hand in hand with support from Intel on its leading-edge 7nm process.
• It is important to remember that when it comes to line width, Intel and TSMC measure differently and Intel at 7nm is equivalent to TSMC at 5nm as the number of transistors per mm is roughly the same.
• Intel will be supporting SiFive’s cores as part of its foundry services in conjunction with its own x86 and Arm.
• In addition, it will be adding the SiFive P550 to its upcoming 7nm Horse Creek platform which means that Intel will be showing it to customers.
• For SiFive and RISC-V, this is a big step forward as 18 months ago before SoftBank decided to sell Arm to NVIDIA, SiFive was all but dead with many in the industry thinking that would run out of money and disappear.
• The fact that Arm is being sold to a competitor of the majority of its customers has lit a fire under SiFive as interest in RISC-V as an alternative has jumped and is continuing to grow.
• I view this as a good development because the more traction and support that RISC-V gets, the greater will be the pressure on NVIDIA to ensure that Arm remains completely independent and treats everyone fairly.
• NVIDIA has repeatedly stated that this is exactly its plan but there is and will continue to be plenty of skepticism for long after the acquisition closes until NVIDIA and Arm have conclusively proven the critics wrong.
• The fact that Intel is supporting higher-end RISC-V designs does not mean that it is going to be a success, but it lends a great deal of credibility to RISC-V as an alternative and keeps the pressure on NVIDIA.
• I still think that Arm is best suited to being a public company but as RISC-V becomes an increasingly viable alternative, the pressure to maintain Arm’s independence will stay high lessening the risk of unequal treatment for Arm’s customers.
• RISC-V is increasingly nipping at Arm’s heels and with Intel’s support, this nipping could become something more.
• I still don’t think that RISC-V has a realistic chance of challenging Arm anytime soon but the risk of this is gradually increasing.