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Review of Topic - China's RISC V open source chip

China's RISC-V Strategy and its Implications
Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) design

Date: October 26, 2023

Subject: Review of China's initiatives and advancements in the RISC-V open-source chip architecture, its motivations, key players, and potential impact on the global technology landscape.

Executive Summary:

The provided sources highlight a significant strategic shift in China's semiconductor industry: a strong and concerted effort to embrace and develop the open-source RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA). This push is largely a direct response to stringent US export controls and trade restrictions aimed at limiting China's access to advanced semiconductor technologies based on proprietary architectures like ARM and x86. China views RISC-V as a critical pathway to achieving technological independence and self-sufficiency in the semiconductor sector, particularly for high-performance computing and AI applications. Key players like Alibaba, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Huawei, ZTE, and Tencent are heavily involved, contributing significantly to RISC-V development and ecosystem building. This strategic pivot is poised to challenge existing power structures in the global semiconductor market and could reshape supply chain dynamics.

Key Themes and Important Ideas:

1. RISC-V as a Strategic Backdoor to Technological Independence:

China sees RISC-V as a means to circumvent US export controls and sanctions on proprietary chip architectures. The open-source nature of RISC-V means it is not owned by any single entity and cannot be easily banned or restricted.
The "DailyBriefs.info" transcript explicitly states: "China didn't build another chip. This time, it created something far bigger, a backdoor out of America's stranglehold on global tech, and it did it silently without fanfare."
The "asiatimes.com" article notes that RISC-V is "an ideal way for the Chinese (or anyone else) to develop an alternative to the proprietary semiconductor technologies of America’s Arm, Intel, Nvidia and other Western firms that are subject to US government export controls."

2. Government Support and National Promotion:

The Chinese government is actively promoting the nationwide use of RISC-V design standards. Multiple key ministries and administrations are reportedly involved in developing new guidelines.
Hong Kong's government is also promoting RISC-V to position itself as an IC design center within China.
The "asiatimes.com" source states, "The Chinese government plans to promote the nationwide use of open-source RISC-V integrated circuit (IC) design standards under new guidelines that may be announced in the next few weeks."

3. Significant Domestic Innovation and Investment:

China is heavily investing in homegrown RISC-V development, with billions of dollars being channeled into universities, startups, and state-backed firms focusing on semiconductors.
Alibaba's Damo Academy has made significant breakthroughs, including the development of the server-grade C930 RISC-V processor and plans to invest over $52 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure, supporting domestic chip production and RISC-V adoption.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is developing the high-performance XiangShan RISC-V processor, aiming for 2025 delivery with ambitious performance targets close to competing proprietary cores.
Chinese companies and institutions account for half of the "premier" members of RISC-V International, allowing them to significantly influence the direction of RISC-V development.

4. RISC-V's Suitability for AI and High-Performance Computing:

RISC-V's open architecture and flexibility are particularly well-suited for the evolving demands of AI applications, which require high performance, lower power consumption, and enhanced parallel computing capabilities.
Frankwell Lin of Andes Technology is quoted in "asiatimes.com" stating, "RISC-V, with its open architecture and highly programmable architecture, is revolutionizing AI accelerators, enabling them to handle inference-heavy workloads more efficiently than fixed-function counterparts."
Chinese companies are developing RISC-V processors specifically for AI acceleration, cloud computing, and server applications, indicating a focus on high-value segments.

5. Global Momentum and Market Disruption:

RISC-V is gaining global traction, with significant projected growth in shipments and market share by 2030 across various sectors including AI, EVs, IoT, and 5G.
The adoption of RISC-V is seen as a disruptive force that could challenge traditional business models based on proprietary architectures.
The "Open-source chip design spurring on AI" source cites an Omdia report predicting RISC-V-based processor shipments to reach 17 billion units globally by 2030, accounting for nearly a quarter of the market share.

6. Development of Advanced RISC-V Technologies, Including 2D Materials:

Beyond traditional silicon, Chinese scientists are exploring cutting-edge materials for RISC-V chip development.
RiVAI Technologies has developed the Lingyu CPU, reportedly China's first fully self-developed high-performance RISC-V server chip utilizing one-nanometer thick 2D semiconductor materials, demonstrating advanced technological capabilities.

7. US Scrutiny and Potential Countermeasures:

The increasing adoption of RISC-V in China is under scrutiny from the United States due to potential security concerns.
The US Commerce Department is reviewing potential security implications.
Google's removal of RISC-V support from the Android kernel, mentioned in the "China's open-source RISC-V processor project pledges 2025 delivery" source, indicates potential friction points and attempts to limit RISC-V's expansion into certain ecosystems.

8. Ecosystem Building and Collaboration:

China is focused on building a complete open-source computing ecosystem around RISC-V by 2030.
Collaboration across the industry chain is being driven by entities like Alibaba's Damo Academy.
The presence of numerous Chinese companies and institutions as "premier" members of RISC-V International underscores their commitment to shaping the RISC-V ecosystem.

Important Facts and Figures:

RISC-V was conceived at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2010.
The RISC-V Foundation (now RISC-V International Association) was established in 2015, with the Institute of Computing Technologies of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as a founder.
The RISC-V Foundation moved its incorporation to Switzerland in 2020 to avoid potential disruption from US trade policies.
China accounts for approximately 50% of global RISC-V core shipment volumes.
Alibaba plans to invest at least 380 billion yuan (US$52 billion) in AI and cloud infrastructure over the next three years.
Alibaba's Xuantie series had over 300 licensed customers, more than 800 authorized licenses, and cumulative shipments exceeding 4 billion units as of early 2024.
Chinese companies and institutions account for half of the 23 premier members of RISC-V International.
In 2022, 10 billion RISC-V chips were produced globally, with half made in China.
The CAS XiangShan processor's third-gen architecture, Kunminghu, aims for performance within about eight percent of Arm’s Neoverse N2 CPU core and simulated speeds up to 3GHz.
RiVAI Technologies' Lingyu CPU is reportedly a one-nanometer thick RISC-V chip developed using 2D materials.

Challenges and Risks:

While China is making significant progress, achieving self-sufficiency in semiconductors is complex and requires deep technical expertise and skilled talent.
The open-source environment requires extensive collaboration, which China may face challenges in fostering rapidly.
The development of high-performance chips based on RISC-V is a complex and resource-intensive process.
Widespread adoption of open-source platforms introduces potential security vulnerabilities that require robust measures to protect national security and intellectual property.

Conclusion:

China's strong embrace of RISC-V represents a strategic pivot driven by geopolitical pressures and the desire for technological autonomy. By investing heavily in domestic innovation and actively participating in the global RISC-V ecosystem, China is building a viable alternative to proprietary chip architectures. This move has significant implications for the global semiconductor landscape, potentially reshaping supply chains and challenging the dominance of Western companies. While challenges remain, the momentum behind China's RISC-V initiatives suggests a determined effort to become a major player in this critical technological domain.

Excerpts from "DailyBriefs.info - china's chip technology"

China has released its first fully functional open-source RISC-V chip1 . This development is seen as a potential means for China to achieve independence from US technological control1 .

This new chip development is framed as a major event that could potentially alter the global balance of power in the 21st century1 . It is described as a way for China to bypass America's dominance in global technology2 .

The competition between the United States and China over chips is characterized as a geopolitical cold war1 . The US aimed to restrict China's access to advanced semiconductors to slow its progress in areas like AI and telecommunications1 .

Huawei is highlighted as a primary example of the US effort to limit China's access to chip technology3 . Following its blacklisting, the US encouraged international allies to cut off access to chip manufacturing technologies, particularly from companies in Taiwan and The Netherlands3 .

Instead of passively accepting restrictions, China intensified its focus on domestic innovation3 . This recent chip development is presented as clear evidence that the long-standing dominance of American technology is diminishing3 .

RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture, essentially serving as the foundational blueprint for how a chip operates and processes data4 . Unlike prevalent proprietary architectures from companies like Arm (UK) or Intel/AMD (US), RISC-V is not owned or controlled by any single entity4 .

The open nature of RISC-V means it cannot be subjected to bans, sanctions, or blocking4 . China's successful development of a chip based on this architecture grants it complete autonomy to innovate, design, and produce chips without needing external consent4 .

China's strategy in response to Western pressure has been characterized by resilience rather than direct retaliation5 . Beijing has channeled significant investment into domestic technology development, specifically targeting the semiconductor sector through various institutions and companies5 .

The Chinese government intends to actively promote the adoption of open-source RISC-V IC design standards nationwide6 . Forthcoming guidelines are expected to involve multiple government bodies, signaling a coordinated national effort6 .

10.

This government push is anticipated to significantly accelerate the existing trend of RISC-V adoption within China6 . It is also viewed as a direct countermeasure against the US government's sustained efforts to regulate and restrict China's semiconductor industry growth globally6 .

11.

Hong Kong is also actively supporting RISC-V development with the goal of becoming a key IC design hub within China7 . This policy is being complemented by the planned establishment of a Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute7 .

12.

The open and flexible architecture of RISC-V is cited as a transformative element for AI accelerators7 . It allows these accelerators to process inference-heavy tasks with greater efficiency compared to conventional fixed-function units7 .

13.

RISC-V is positioned as a crucial technology for the advancement of high-performance computing (HPC) due to its ability to meet the changing requirements of AI applications7 . Its suitability for complex AI tasks stems from its capacity for high performance and enhanced parallel computing8 .

14.

The influence and application of RISC-V are expanding beyond AI, including sectors like Electric Vehicles (EVs), Internet of Things (IoT), and 5G9 . Its open architecture not only fosters technical innovation but also has the potential to disrupt established business models, making it vital for economic progress across these industries9 .

15.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced that its XiangShan RISC-V processor is anticipated to be ready in 2024 and will include support for the AI model DeepSeek9 . CAS asserts that XiangShan is currently the leading open-source processor core globally in terms of performance9 .

16.

The XiangShan initiative, initiated in 2019, aims to create a high-performance RISC-V processor with ongoing updates and improvements to its design and efficiency10 . The Beijing Institute of Open Source Chip was founded specifically to back this project10 .

17.

Alibaba has announced the imminent commencement of shipments for its latest RISC-V processor, a server-grade CPU10 . This processor is part of Alibaba's XuanTie series, developed by its Damo Academy research arm11 .

18.

Alibaba plans a substantial investment exceeding US$50 billion in AI and cloud computing infrastructure over the next three years10 . This strategic funding is intended to promote the widespread use of domestic technologies, including RISC-V chip designs, within its data centers12 .

19.

RISC-V is described as a free, open platform for developing integrated circuit processors, based on the principles of Reduced Instruction Set Computing13 . It provides a practical path for Chinese entities to create alternatives to proprietary Western semiconductor technologies that are subject to US export controls13 .

20.

The RISC-V concept originated at the University of California, Berkeley, in 201013 . The RISC-V Foundation, established in 2015 to support the technology, counted the Institute of Computing Technologies of the Chinese Academy of Sciences among its founding members13 .

21.

The China RISC-V Alliance was formed in 2018 with the ambitious goal of developing a comprehensive open-source computing ecosystem by 203014 . The city of Shanghai also implemented financial incentives in 2018 to encourage RISC-V development14 .

22.

In 2020, the RISC-V Foundation relocated its incorporation to Switzerland, becoming the RISC-V International Association14 . This move was reportedly made to mitigate potential disruptions arising from the US-China trade tensions at the time14 .

23.

There are indications that attempts by US policymakers to restrict China's access to RISC-V through export controls may be too late15 . China already accounts for a significant portion, approximately 50%, of global RISC-V core shipments15 .

24.

A notable number of leading Chinese technology companies hold "premier" membership in RISC-V International, including major players like Alibaba Cloud, Huawei, ZTE, and Tencent15 . Premier members have positions on the board and technical committees, allowing them to directly influence the direction of RISC-V standards and technology16 .

25.

The premier membership of RISC-V International includes prominent Western companies such as Google, Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Synopsis, and SiFive15 . The organization represents a broad international collaboration across different regions17 .

26.

China hosts a significant annual event, the RISC-V Summit China in Hangzhou, which draws thousands of attendees and online viewers from both domestic and international communities17 . This summit is considered comparable in importance to similar events held in Europe and North America17 .

27.

China's increasing engagement with RISC-V is being closely monitored by various stakeholders in the US, including technology firms and government bodies18 . The Jamestown Foundation highlighted China's strategic approach and ambition to transform the semiconductor industry landscape18 .

28.

The growing presence and influence of Chinese organizations within the RISC-V International Foundation are seen as an indicator of China's intent to guide the future development of RISC-V technology18 . This perceived shift in influence away from the US is interpreted as an effort to reconfigure the global technological order19 .

29.

China perceives RISC-V as a crucial avenue to enhance its capacity for independent innovation and build self-sufficiency in technology19 . It is seen as a strategic tool for navigating the complexities and pressures of rising geopolitical tensions19 .

30.

The CAS XiangShan open-source processor is scheduled for delivery in 202519 . This delivery is positioned as a key achievement in China's broader initiative to develop more domestically produced chips19 .

31.

The XiangShan project's third-generation architecture, named Kunminghu, has demonstrated substantial progress20 . Project leads report that its performance is projected to be within approximately eight percent of Arm's competitive Neoverse N2 CPU core20 .

32.

Kunminghu is expected to be competitive for use in demanding applications such as cloud computing, high-performance computing, and machine learning tasks20 . Development efforts during 2024 concentrated on optimizing the chip's physical size (area) and power consumption20 .

33.

The Kunminghu processor design incorporates multiple parallel processing units capable of handling various types of operations, along with features supporting out-of-order execution20 . Simulations suggest the chip is capable of operating at speeds up to 3GHz20 .

34.

The previous iteration of the XiangShan project, known as the Nanhu chip, was manufactured using a 14nm process node and achieved clock speeds up to 2GHz21 . This chip represented the project's second silicon release and was introduced towards the end of 202321 .

35.

XiangShan utilizes the RISC-V instruction set under the Mulan PSL-2.0 license, which grants royalty-free permission to use and modify the design21 . This licensing approach is distinct from the typical models offered by large proprietary architecture providers and is seen as potentially transformative for processor design, akin to Linux's impact on software21 .

36.

The XiangShan project, and China's increasing embrace of RISC-V more generally, are facing heightened scrutiny from the United States22 . Concerns regarding potential security implications are reportedly under review by the US Commerce Department22 .

37.

As a notable development, Google has removed support for RISC-V from the Android kernel22 . This action could potentially pose challenges for the future development and adoption of RISC-V-based smartphones22 .

38.

The open-source nature of the RISC-V chip design architecture is becoming increasingly popular in China, particularly as domestic technology companies strive to strengthen their capabilities in semiconductors amidst the growing importance of artificial intelligence22 . RISC-V's ability to manage shared memory systems and its free availability since 2010 contribute to its appeal23 .

39.

The RISC-V architecture allows developers to design chips customized to their specific requirements23 . Historically, licensing chip designs has been costly, with leading companies keeping their blueprints secret, compelling customers to purchase standard manufactured chips or incur high costs for custom solutions23 .

40.

The increasing adoption of open-source RISC-V is anticipated to reduce the future dependency of Chinese companies on established proprietary chip design architectures like Intel's x86 and ARM's technology23 . This strategic shift is particularly relevant in the context of tightening restrictions on US chip exports to China23 .

41.

Academician Ni Guangnan believes that China's growing open-source ecosystem is a significant catalyst for technological innovation24 . He predicts that by 2030, RISC-V chips will secure a market share exceeding 25% across various applications like PCs, autonomous driving, and servers, becoming a fundamental element of the global semiconductor industry24 .

42.

Experts suggest that as AI technology progresses, traditional computing architectures frequently struggle to adequately support the demands of complex AI tasks8 . RISC-V, characterized by its inherent scalability, flexibility, and capacity for customization, is uniquely positioned to effectively meet these evolving requirements8 .

43.

By allowing for the extension of its instruction set, RISC-V can accommodate the specific computing demands of AI applications and enhance parallel processing capabilities8 . This makes it a suitable foundation for AI architecture and offers a promising direction for developing future AI chips8 .

44.

Projections from market research firm Omdia indicate that global shipments of RISC-V-based processors are expected to experience significant annual growth, nearing 50% between 2024 and 203025 . By 2030, these processors are forecast to reach volumes of 17 billion units globally and represent almost a quarter of the worldwide market share25 .

45.

Guo Songliu, who heads the RISC-V industry ecosystems at CAS, asserts that RISC-V is optimally suited for the rapid pace of innovation characteristic of the AI era25 . He describes it as the most adaptable and open among the three primary instruction set architectures currently in use25 .

46.

Alibaba's Damo Academy announced that its C930, the highest-performance processor designed for computer servers in its XuanTie series, would commence delivery in March26 . This server chip is based on the RISC-V architecture11 .

47.

The C930 is engineered for high-performance computing tasks and is considered a major achievement in China's ongoing efforts in chip innovation for server applications11 . Its development aligns with Alibaba's broader objective to be a central participant in the global shift towards open-source hardware ecosystems11 .

48.

As of early 2024, Alibaba's XuanTie series had accumulated over 300 licensed customers and shipped more than 4 billion units26 . Alibaba began investing in RISC-V architecture in 2018, positioning itself among the pioneering Chinese teams exploring the technology27 .

49.

In China, hundreds of companies are currently involved in or investigating the development of RISC-V technology16 . Chinese companies and institutions constitute half of the 23 premier members of RISC-V International, indicating significant engagement at the highest level16 .

50.

Meng Jianyi, a chief scientist at Damo, contends that China's semiconductor industry must strategically leverage open-source RISC-V technology to successfully enter the high-performance chip market27 . He views this as essential for challenging the established dominance of x86 and ARM architectures from foreign manufacturers27 .

China’s RISC-V Strategy: Reshaping the Global Semiconductor Landscape

Executive Summary

China’s semiconductor industry is undergoing a seismic shift as it embraces the open-source RISC-V architecture to circumvent U.S. export controls and achieve technological independence. Driven by geopolitical tensions and sanctions targeting proprietary architectures (e.g., ARM, x86), China has mobilized state-backed institutions, tech giants like Alibaba and Huawei, and academic bodies to build a self-sufficient RISC-V ecosystem. Key developments include:

Strategic Investments: Over $52 billion committed by Alibaba alone for AI/cloud infrastructure and RISC-V adoption by 2026.
Technological Milestones: High-performance chips like CAS’s XiangShan (targeting 3GHz speeds) and Alibaba’s server-grade C930 processor.
Market Disruption: RISC-V shipments in China already account for 50% of global volumes, with projections of 17 billion units (25% global share) by 2030.
Ecosystem Building: 50% of RISC-V International’s premier members are Chinese entities, positioning China to influence global standards.

This report analyzes China’s RISC-V strategy, its implications for global semiconductor dynamics, and actionable insights for stakeholders.

1. Introduction: Geopolitical Context and Strategic Imperatives

The U.S.-China tech rivalry has intensified over semiconductor dominance, with the U.S. imposing export controls to limit China’s access to advanced chip technologies (e.g., Huawei blacklisting, ASML lithography restrictions). In response, China has pivoted to RISC-V—an open-source, sanction-proof architecture—to:

Decouple from Western architectures (ARM/x86) subject to U.S. controls.
Accelerate self-reliance in AI, cloud computing, and high-performance computing (HPC).
Leverage open-source collaboration to build a domestic ecosystem and global influence.

2. Key Findings

2.1 Strategic Importance of RISC-V

Sanction-Proof Innovation: RISC-V’s open-source nature circumvents U.S. restrictions, enabling China to design and manufacture chips without external approval.
AI and HPC Focus: RISC-V’s flexibility supports AI workloads (e.g., parallel processing, custom instruction sets), aligning with China’s $1.4 trillion AI ambitions.
Government Backing: Coordinated policies across ministries (e.g., MIIT, CAS) and regional hubs (e.g., Hong Kong AI R&D Institute) prioritize RISC-V adoption.

2.2 Domestic Innovation and Investment

Alibaba: $52 billion investment in AI/cloud infrastructure; XuanTie series ships 4B+ units.
CAS: XiangShan processor targets 3GHz speeds, closing the gap with ARM’s Neoverse N2 by 2025.
Startups and Academia: 100+ Chinese firms exploring RISC-V; 2D material breakthroughs (e.g., Lingyu CPU at 1nm thickness).

2.3 Global Market Disruption

Shipment Growth: RISC-V processor shipments to grow at ~50% CAGR, reaching 17B units by 2030.
Ecosystem Influence: Chinese entities hold 50% of premier seats in RISC-V International, shaping standards.
Supply Chain Shifts: Reduced reliance on Western IP could reroute design/manufacturing flows to China.

2.4 Security and Scrutiny

U.S. Concerns: Commerce Department reviews potential security risks; Google removed RISC-V support from Android.
Open-Source Risks: Vulnerabilities in shared ecosystems and IP leakage challenges.

3. Analysis

3.1 RISC-V’s Technical Advantages

Customization: Modular design allows AI-specific extensions (e.g., vector operations for ML).
Cost Efficiency: Eliminates licensing fees (vs. ARM’s $1B+ annual royalties).
2D Materials: Breakthroughs like RIVAI’s Lingyu CPU (1nm thickness) position China at the forefront of post-silicon R&D.

3.2 Competitive Landscape

Metric

RISC-V (China)

ARM/x86 (West)

Architecture

Open-source, customizable

Proprietary, restricted

AI Suitability

High (parallel processing)

Moderate (fixed-function)

Market Share (2030)

25% projected

Declining dominance

3.3 Ecosystem Development

Collaborative Networks: RISC-V Summit China attracts 3,000+ attendees annually.
Talent Pipeline: Universities and state labs focus on RISC-V curriculum; CAS trains 1,000+ engineers yearly.

4. Strategic Implications

4.1 For China

Technological Sovereignty: Reduced dependency on Western IP by 2030.
Global Leadership: Potential to set RISC-V standards for AI, EVs, and IoT.

4.2 For the U.S. and Allies

Erosion of Dominance: ARM/x86 market share at risk; need for counter-strategies (e.g., R&D subsidies).
Security Measures: Enhanced export controls on 2D materials and design tools.

4.3 For Corporations

Western Firms: Explore RISC-V partnerships to retain influence (e.g., Intel, Qualcomm already premier members).
Chinese Firms: Accelerate IP development to offset U.S. restrictions.

5. Challenges and Risks

Technical Complexity: High-performance RISC-V chips require advanced expertise (e.g., 3nm fabrication).
Talent Shortages: China faces a deficit of 300,000 semiconductor engineers by 2025.
Fragmented Standards: Competing RISC-V implementations may slow adoption.

6. Recommendations

6.1 For China

Scale Talent Development: Expand university programs and industry partnerships.
Strengthen IP Protections: Implement cybersecurity frameworks for open-source ecosystems.

6.2 For Western Policymakers

Invest in RISC-V Innovation: Compete via open-source contributions, not restrictions.
Monitor 2D Material Exports: Limit access to advanced semiconductor materials.

6.3 For Global Corporations

Dual Strategies: Maintain ARM/x86 portfolios while exploring RISC-V use cases.
Collaborate with Chinese Ecosystem: Engage in RISC-V International to shape standards.

7. Conclusion

China’s RISC-V strategy marks a pivotal shift in the semiconductor industry, blending open-source innovation with state-driven ambition. While challenges persist, the combination of massive investment, technical breakthroughs, and ecosystem building positions China to disrupt global supply chains and redefine technological leadership. Stakeholders must adapt swiftly to navigate this new landscape.

Appendix:

Timeline of China’s RISC-V Milestones (2018–2030)
RISC-V vs. ARM/x86 Performance Benchmarks
Projected Semiconductor Market Share (2024 vs. 2030)

TRANSCRIPT OF TIKTOK VIDEO

Chip war is over, and The United States has lost the one weapon it thought China would never be able to build on its own. No Twitter rants, no press conference, no dramatic headlines, only one quietly released piece of silicon that could change everything. No sanctions, no trade restrictions, no bans, and no blacklists can stop what has now been set in motion. China didn't build another chip. This time, it created something far bigger, a backdoor out of America's stranglehold on global tech, and it did it silently without fanfare.

China has now rolled out its first fully functional RISC V open source chip. And if you're not familiar with what that means, buckle up. This isn't only about semiconductors. It's about rewriting the rules of power in the twenty first century. In today's video, I wanna break down what this chip is, why it matters so much, and how it signals something massive.

China is on the verge of walking away from The United States' tech dominance for good. We'll look at what this means for the global balance of power, why The US may have lost the game it started, and how this open source revolution is actually a master stroke for China's future. Let's dive in. Over the past five years, the chip war between The United States and China has escalated into something that looks more like a geopolitical cold war than just a tech dispute. Washington saw the rise of China in AI, cloud computing, and telecommunications and decided to choke off the supply of advanced semiconductors.

One company became a symbol of this effort, Huawei. After it was blacklisted, The US pressured global allies to cut off access to chip making technologies, particularly from companies like TSMC in Taiwan and ASML in The Netherlands. The goal was simple, slow down China's technological rise. But here's the thing, you can only weaponize technology for so long before your rival finds a way around it. China didn't just sit and sulk.

It doubled down on local innovation. And this latest chip is the clearest proof yet that the old model of American tech dominance is cracking. To understand why this chip matters, we need to understand RISC V. Now, this isn't just some alternative processor. RISC V is an open source instruction set architecture.

Think of it like a blueprint for how a chip thinks and processes information. Most chips today are based on proprietary architectures owned by western companies, like A Arm in The UK or x 86 from Intel and AMD in The US. But RISC V is different. It's not owned by anyone. That means no one can ban it, sanction it, or block you from using it.

And China just built a chip based on this model. This open source nature gives China something it never had before. Freedom. Total freedom to innovate, design, and manufacture chips without asking for anyone's permission. And this changes the game.

What's interesting is how China approached this. While the West was busy flexing its muscles, China responded not with outrage, but with resilience. Instead of retaliating with sanctions of its own, Beijing funneled billions into homegrown tech. Universities, startups, and state backed firms were all told to focus on semiconductors. It The chip war is over, and The United States has

asiatimes.com

China all in on RISC-V open-source chip design

By Scott Foster|Mar. 9th, 2025

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It’s “RISC on” in China.

The Chinese government plans to promote the nationwide use of open-source RISC-V integrated circuit (IC) design standards under new guidelines that may be announced in the next few weeks, Reuters reported.

China’s Cyberspace Administration, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology and National Intellectual Property Administration are all reportedly involved, according to the Reuters report.

If so, it would give a big push forward to a trend that has been gathering pace for several years now and a big pushback against the US government, which, under presidents Trump 1.0, Biden and Trump 2.0, has consistently sought to police the global semiconductor industry and stifle its development in China.

Hong Kong’s government is also promoting RISC-V (pronounced “risk-five”) to make a place for itself as one of China’s IC design centers. The establishment of a Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute will complement the policy.

Writing under the headline “The Role of RISC-V in Shaping the Future” in EE Times, Frankwell Lin, CEO of Taiwan’s Andes Technology, noted that:

AI’s expanding influence – spanning applications like voice recognition, imaging, and natural language processing – underscores the critical role of advanced semiconductors. RISC-V, with its open architecture and highly programmable architecture, is revolutionizing AI accelerators, enabling them to handle inference-heavy workloads more efficiently than fixed-function counterparts. This flexibility positions RISC-V as a linchpin in the evolution of high-performance computing (HPC), addressing the rapidly evolving demands of AI applications.

Lin also points out that:

RISC-V’s momentum extends beyond AI, finding applications in EVs, IoT, and 5G. Its ability to foster innovation through an open architecture not only drives technical breakthroughs but also disrupts traditional business models, making it an essential technology for economic growth and recovery across these sectors.

In January, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced that its XiangShan RISC-V processor will be ready this year, with modification to support AI dynamo DeepSeek. Xiangshan is” the world’s top-performing open-source processor core,” according to CAS.

The XiangShan project was launched in 2019 to develop a high-performance RISC-V processor “with a focus on regular updates and improvements to the processor’s design, performance, and power efficiency,” in the words of TechRadar. The Beijing Institute of Open Source Chip was created to support the project.

In February, Alibaba announced that it will start shipments of its newest RISC-V processor, a server-grade CPU, to customers this month. Alibaba, which plans to invest more than US$50 billion in AI and cloud computing over the next three years, recently announced a new AI model that it claims outperforms DeepSeek.

RISC-V is an open standard instruction set architecture based on Reduced Instruction Set Computer design principles. A free, non-proprietary platform for the development of IC processors, it is an ideal way for the Chinese (or anyone else) to develop an alternative to the proprietary semiconductor technologies of America’s Arm, Intel, Nvidia and other Western firms that are subject to US government export controls.

The RISC-V concept was conceived at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2010. The RISC-V Foundation was established in 2015 to support and manage the technology, with the Institute of Computing Technologies of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as one of its founders.

A China RISC-V Alliance was established in 2018 with the goal of creating a complete open-source computing ecosystem by 2030. Also in 2018, the city of Shanghai introduced financial incentives for RISC-V development and Chinese RISC-V specialist StarFive was founded with the support of SiFive, the technology leader headquartered in Santa Clara.

In 2020, the RISC-V Foundation was incorporated in Switzerland as the RISC-V International Association, moving out of the United States to avoid potential disruption caused by then-president Donald Trump’s China trade war policies.

US policymakers and politicians would like to use export controls to limit China’s use of the technology, but indications are it is too late for that. China already accounts for about 50% of RISC-V core shipment volumes.

Several Chinese companies are “premier” members of RISC-V International, including Alibaba Cloud, Huawei, ZTE, Tencent and semiconductor products and services supplier Beijing ESWIN. Andes Technology, Google, Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Synopsis and SiFive are also premium members.

The least well-known of the premier member Chinese companies, ESWIN, has R&D centers in Beijing, Shanghai, seven other Chinese cities, South Korea and the UK; manufacturing plants in Xi’an and Chengdu; and sales offices in Qingdao, Shenzhen, nine other Chinese cities, South Korea, Japan and the US.

Altogether, the RISC-V International Association has 24 “premier” members, 166 “strategic” members, and 205 “community” members in Europe, Asia and the Americas, according to the RISC-V website.

The fourth annual RISC-V Summit China was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, last August, where more than 100 companies, research institutions and open-source technology communities participated. Ranking with similar events in Europe and North America, it attracted some 3,000 domestic and foreign attendees and about half a million viewers online.

These developments are being followed closely by tech companies, consulting firms and government officials in the US. In December 2023, the Jamestown Foundation, a conservative research and analysis consultancy following national security-related trends from Washington, DC, wrote that:

China’s engagement with RISC-V is a testament to its strategic foresight and ambition to reshape the semiconductor industry, challenging long-established norms and power structures. The increasing influence of Chinese entities in the RISC-V International Foundation is a clear indicator of China’s intention to steer the direction of RISC-V development.

This shift in control away from the United States is not merely about technological advancement but about altering the global tech order. China sees RISC-V as an opportunity to enhance its self-innovation capabilities, foster self-sufficiency, and navigate the complexities of increasing geopolitical tensions.

China's open-source RISC-V processor project pledges 2025 delivery with ambitious performance targets

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The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) plans to roll out its XiangShan open-source processor in 2025, marking an important milestone in China’s drive for more domestic homegrown chips. Bao Yungang, deputy director at the Institute of Computing Technology, spilled the timeline in a recent Weibo update, highlighting how they’re progressing steadily on high-performance computing.

CAS kicked off the XiangShan initiative in 2019. It has made significant progress with its third-gen architecture, Kunminghu. Project leaders say this new architecture can deliver performance within about eight percent of Arm’s Neoverse N2 CPU core. That puts it in striking distance for powering cloud computing, HPC setups, and even ML tasks.

Throughout 2024, the development team zeroed in on optimizing Kunminghu’s area and power consumption. The processor boasts multiple parallel processing units for integer, floating-point, and vector operations, along with out-of-order execution features. Simulations have shown it can run at speeds of up to 3GHz.

The previous iteration, known as the Nanhu chip, was produced using a 14nm process node and clocked up to 2GHz. Introduced in late 2023, Nanhu served as the project’s second-generation silicon release.

XiangShan taps into the RISC-V instruction set under the Mulan PSL-2.0 license, giving folks royalty-free rights to use and tweak the design. That’s different from the usual licensing offered by giants like Arm, and it might change the future of processor design, similar to how Linux altered the market.

However, the XiangShan project is under growing scrutiny from the United States due to China’s increasing adoption of RISC-V. Lately, the U.S. Commerce Department has been reviewing potential security concerns. Google even removed RISC-V support from the Android kernel—something that could spell trouble for any future RISC-V-driven phones.

Open-source chip design spurring on AI

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Open-source chip design architecture RISC-V is gaining in popularity in China, experts said, as domestic tech companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd work to sharpen their technological strengths in semiconductors amid the rapidly evolving era of artificial intelligence.

RISC-V technology manages memory systems shared between CPUs, and has been open and free for use since its debut in 2010. Developers can use it to design a chip tailored to their unique needs.

Chip designs have traditionally been expensive to license. Global chip designers, such as Intel and ARM, have kept their blueprints secret. This meant consumers had to buy manufactured chips directly, or pay more for customized designs.

Amid the increasingly tighter restrictions on US chip exports to China, the rising popularity of open-source RISC-V will help cut Chinese companies' future reliance on chip design architecture such as Intel's x86, and products developed by the United Kingdom's ARM Holdings, the experts said.

Ni Guangnan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said, "China's open-source ecosystem has flourished, becoming a significant driver of technological innovation."

Ni expects that by 2030, RISC-V chips will capture over 25 percent of the market in consumer PCs, autonomous driving, network communications, industrial control, smart devices and high-performance server applications, becoming a cornerstone of the global semiconductor industry.

"Open-source RISC-V is not just a technological innovation, but also a global transformation that will influence the future global computing landscape," Ni added.

This is especially true in the era of AI. As AI technology advances, traditional computing architecture often struggles to meet the needs of complex AI tasks, which require higher performance, lower power consumption and enhanced parallel computing capabilities, the experts said.

RISC-V, with its scalability, flexibility and customizable characteristics, is uniquely positioned to address these needs. By extending its instruction set, RISC-V can support AI-specific computing requirements and improve parallel computing capabilities, making it an ideal choice for AI architecture and offering a new pathway for future AI chip development, they added.

According to a report from market research company Omdia, RISC-V-based processor shipments are expected to grow at an annual rate of nearly 50 percent from 2024 to 2030, reaching 17 billion units globally by 2030. And RISC-V processors are projected to account for nearly a quarter of the global market share by then.

Guo Songliu, head of RISC-V industry ecosystems at the Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, "AI is evolving rapidly, and RISC-V, as the most flexible and open of the three mainstream instruction set architectures, is undoubtedly best suited for the pace of innovation in the AI era."

To grasp the opportunity, Damo Academy, a research institute of Alibaba, has been innovating in high-performance chips for AI. At a conference held in late February, Damo Academy's Xuantie processor family announced that its highest-performance processor for computer servers, the C930, will begin delivery in March.

According to data released by Damo, as of early 2024, the Xuantie series had over 300 licensed customers, more than 800 authorized licenses and cumulative shipments exceeding 4 billion units.

Alibaba is not alone. In China, hundreds of companies are already engaged in, or exploring, RISC-V development. Among the 23 premier members of RISC-V International — an international organization dedicated to promoting the use of the chip architecture — Chinese companies and institutions account for half, including Alibaba, Huawei, ZTE and Tencent. Notably, premier members hold board and technical committee seats, enabling them to directly influence the development of RISC-V standards and technical directions.

In 2022, 10 billion RISC-V chips were produced globally, of which half were made in China. As Chinese companies have scrambled to embrace RISC-V in recent years, the proportion has risen even higher, though no official updated figure is available yet, experts added.

Meng Jianyi, chief scientist at Damo, said, "For China's chip industry to break into the high-performance chip market and challenge the dominance of x86 and ARM by foreign chip manufacturers, it must leverage open-source RISC-V."

Since 2018, Alibaba has been investing in RISC-V architecture, making it one of the earliest Chinese teams to explore the technology. In 2019, the launch of the Xuantie C910 processor marked the beginning of RISC-V's transition from applications for the internet of things market to the high-performance chips market, sparking a wave of industry interest in RISC-V.

Over the past six years, Damo's Xuantie series has released 13 RISC-V processors across four series, covering high-performance, high-efficiency and low-power scenarios.

While advancing its own hardware and software technologies, Damo is also driving collaboration across the industry chain to build an ecosystem for RISC-V. Applications of RISC-V are rapidly emerging, such as AI-enabled personal computers and intelligent robots, as shown by Damo Academy's partners at the February conference.

China firm develops one-nanometer thick RISC-V chip with 2D materials

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Chinese scientists introduced a reduced instruction set computing architecture (RISC-V) microprocessor capable of executing standard 32-bit instructions. (Representational image)

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Scientists in China have developed the world’s most complex two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor microprocessor, which is less than one nanometre thick.

Scientists across the world are turning to 2D materials like molybdenum disulphide and tungsten diselenide for microprocessors at a time when silicon-based integrated circuits approach the physical limits of miniaturization.

These materials are usually only one atom thick and exhibit remarkable physical properties for game-changer functionality in next-generation circuits.

Named the Lingyu CPU, the microprocessor is developed by RiVAI Technologies. The chip is also China’s first fully self-developed high-performance RISC-V server chip.

Designed to support high-performance computing, the RISC-V server chip can also support large open-source language models like DeepSeek.

Published in journal Nature, the research reveals that Chinese scientists introduced a reduced instruction set computing architecture (RISC-V) microprocessor capable of executing standard 32-bit instructions on 5,900 MoS2 transistors and a complete standard cell library based on 2D semiconductor technology.The library contains 25 types of logic units. In alignment with advances in

silicon integrated circuits, researchers also co-optimized the process flow and design of the 2D logic circuits.

“Our combined manufacturing and design methodology has overcome the significant challenges associated with wafer-scale integration of 2D circuits and enabled a pioneering prototype of an MoS2 microprocessor that exemplifies the potential of 2D integrated-circuit technology beyond silicon,” said researchers in the study.

It can support vector instruction set, ultra-wide vector width and offer stronger computing power to meet diverse computing needs such as machine learning.

RISC-V is an open-source instruction set that allows Chinese firms to design and manufacture processors without external restrictions. The push for RISC-V adoption comes in response to ongoing trade tensions and sanctions that have limited China’s access to advanced foreign-made chips.

Reports have revealed that the resulting processor involves 5,900 individual transistors and is capable of implementing the full 32-bit version of the RISC-V instruction set, which necessarily means it includes sophisticated circuitry like the RISC-V instruction decoder. At the same time, some aspects are intentionally kept simple; while it can perform the addition of two 32-bit numbers, it does so by operating a single bit at a time, meaning it takes 32 clock cycles to perform the operation.

In recent times, the search for post-silicon semiconductors has escalated owing to the inherent limitations of conventional bulk semiconductors. But these are plagued by issues such as drain-induced barrier lowering, interfacial-scattering-induced mobility degradation, and a constrained current on/off ratio determined by semiconductor bandwidth.

Reports revealed that these challenges have prompted the search for more advanced materials, with atomic-layer-thick two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors emerging as a potential solution.

Prabhat Ranjan Mishra Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.

RISC-V CPU Launch by Alibaba Signals Chip Shift in China

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While China’s semiconductor sector has advanced considerably over the past two decades, the increasingly stringent restrictions from Western nations have highlighted an urgent need for greater technological independence. Recently, innovators like Alibaba’s Damo Academy have unveiled noteworthy breakthroughs in RISC-V-based chip design, signalling the country’s accelerating efforts to establish a self-reliant semiconductor supply chain.

Key Thing to Know:

Alibaba unveils the C930 RISC-V processor: Damo Academy's latest server-grade chip signals China's growing push toward open-source processor design and technological self-sufficiency.

$52 billion strategic investment: Alibaba plans to inject at least 380bn yuan into AI and cloud infrastructure over the next three years, supporting domestic chip production.

RISC-V as a geopolitical pivot: China is embracing open-source architectures like RISC-V to reduce dependency on Western-controlled standards such as x86 and ARM.

Global implications for the chip market: As China ramps up local R&D and ecosystem development, these moves may reshape the global semiconductor landscape and challenge existing supply chain dynamics.

What key obstacles does China’s semiconductor industry face in its drive toward autonomy, what solutions are emerging from domestic research and development, and how might these open-source initiatives reshape not only China’s technological landscape but also the global semiconductor market?

Navigating the Semiconductor Landscape: A Decade of Challenges for China

The past decade has seen China face numerous challenges in its semiconductor industry, with the country's technological ambitions being a major driving force. In the late 1990s and the early 2000s, China recognised the importance of the semiconductor industry for both national security and economic growth, but its early efforts were hindered by technological gaps, a lack of expertise, and inadequate infrastructure. As a result, the country had to rely on Western technology and expertise, importing advanced chips and manufacturing equipment while partnering with foreign companies in order to gain access to knowledge, intellectual property, and other essential components.

Geopolitical Pressures and the Rise of Export Controls

However, in the past decade, one of the major obstacles faced by China has been the restrictions imposed by Western nations, particularly the US. As China's ambitions in the semiconductor industry grew, Western countries became increasingly concerned about the potential risks associated with China's technological advancements. In response, the US imposed (which are still in effect as of 2025) a range of export controls and trade restrictions that aimed to limit China's access to advanced semiconductor technologies.

These restrictions included the blacklisting of key companies such as Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), which severely impacted China's ability to acquire cutting-edge semiconductors, manufacturing equipment, and essential tools such as electronic design automated (EDA) software. Additionally, the US pressured its allies, including Japan and the Netherlands, to restrict the sale of advanced lithography machines, software, and other critical components to China. As a result, Chinese companies found themselves unable to produce high-end semiconductors and were forced to seek alternative solutions.

The restrictions imposed by the US also had a significant impact on China's semiconductor research and development (RD) efforts. Without access to the latest equipment and materials, Chinese firms struggled to develop advanced semiconductor technologies, which are essential for producing high-performance chips. Furthermore, the restrictions limited China's ability to participate in global technology ecosystems, making it difficult for Chinese companies to collaborate with Western firms and access cutting-edge technologies.

In contrast, Western countries were able to capitalise on their technological lead, making significant breakthroughs in semiconductor design and manufacturing. Companies such as NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel continued to push the boundaries of chip performance, while TSMC, Samsung, and other leading semiconductor manufacturers solidified their positions as industry leaders. As a result, a significant gap developed between China's domestic industry and the global semiconductor leaders.

Closing the Gap: China’s Push for Semiconductor Self-Sufficiency

Faced with these challenges, China intensified its efforts in the semiconductor industry, allocating billions of dollars in funding and encouraging domestic companies to develop indigenous chip designs and fabrication processes. However, achieving self-sufficiency in semiconductors is a complex and resource-intensive process that requires not only capital investment but also deep technical expertise and skilled talent.

In addition to investing in domestic R&D, China also sought to establish closer relationships with countries that were less aligned with US policies, such as Russia. However, despite these initiatives, China continued to face significant challenges in the semiconductor industry, including a lack of access to advanced technologies, a shortage of skilled talent, and a limited domestic market.

Turning Inward: Embracing Open-Source as Strategic Leverage

In response to the numerous restrictions imposed by the West, China has shifted its focus towards open-source technologies as a vital strategic alternative. One of its most significant developments has been the adoption of RISC, an open-source instruction that provides a viable alternative to proprietary architectures such as ARM and x86.

However, the transition to open platforms has not been without its challenges. The open-source environment requires extensive collaboration and community involvement, and China has faced difficulties in creating an environment that fosters rapid technological progress. Furthermore, while RISC-V provides a viable alternative to existing instruction sets, the development of high-performance chips based on these architectures is a complex and resource-intensive process.

Alibaba To Ship High-Performance Server RISC-V Chip In China

Alibaba Group's research arm, the Damo Academy, has recently announced the development of their first server-grade chip using the open-source RISC-V architecture. This chip, called the C930, is part of Alibaba's series of XuanTie chips that utilise the RISC-V architecture. The C930 is designed for high-performance computing and is set to be shipped to customers in March of this year.

According to Damo Academy, the C930 represents a major milestone in China's chip innovation roadmap, standing as the first RISC-V-based processor in the XuanTie series designed specifically for high-performance server applications. The development aligns with Alibaba’s broader ambition to play a central role in the global transition to open-source hardware ecosystems.

The development of the C930 is part of a larger plan by Alibaba to invest at least 380bn yuan (the equivalent of $52bn) in AI and Cloud infrastructure over the next three-year period.

Strategic Investment to Bolster Domestic Chip Ecosystems

This strategic investment follows Alibaba’s recently disclosed commitment of at least 380 billion yuan (US$52 billion) into artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. As reported by the South China Morning Post, the investment is intended to accelerate the adoption of domestic technologies amid global supply chain uncertainty and support the implementation of domestic RISC-V chip designs across data centres.

This investment will see the construction of new data centres and the deployment and use of AI chips, including the C930. Alibaba stated that this investment is in response to the increasing demand for AI technology, which has seen a significant rise in popularity in China, particularly with the success of the start-up DeepSeek in early January.

The development of the C920 is also a result of the increasing restrictions being placed on China by the US. In recent years, the US has introduced numerous export sanctions on Chinese companies, including Huawei, in an attempt to prevent China from developing key technologies, including AI. In response to these restrictions, China has been actively trying to develop its own semiconductor supply chain that is independent of US technology.

Damo Academy underscored its leadership within the RISC-V ecosystem, noting that its XuanTie team had contributed to over 30% of high-performance RISC-V processor deployments globally. This reinforces the strategic pivot away from reliance on proprietary instruction sets such as x86 and ARM, both heavily restricted under US export controls.

RISC-V as an Open-Source Alternative to Proprietary Architectures

The use of RISC-V technology in the C930 is also significant as it is an open-source architecture. This means that anyone can modify and use the technology, which is very different to other processor technologies, such as Intel's x64 and ARM's RISC architecture. The use of open-source technology can also help to reduce the cost of developing new technologies, which can be beneficial for companies looking to develop new products.

The C930 leverages the benefits of the Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) design philosophy to streamline processing tasks while maintaining scalability. Unlike Intel’s x86 architecture, which remains closed-source and highly complex, RISC-V enables faster prototyping and adaptability across verticals, including cloud-native infrastructure and edge AI applications.

In addition to the C930, Damo Academy also announced plans to develop future XuanTie chips, including the C908x for AI acceleration, the RA908x for automotive applications, and the XL200 for use in high-speed interconnects. The development of these chips will also help to improve China's ability to develop AI technologies, which are becoming increasingly important in modern society.

Future models such as the C908X and XL200 are aimed at addressing specific use cases including AI acceleration and high-speed interconnection. These chips are expected to form a foundational part of Alibaba's strategy for deploying decentralised intelligence across sectors like autonomous driving and large-scale server farms.

Pioneering Tomorrow: Forged in China - Forging China's Semiconductor Industry

China's semiconductor industry is facing numerous challenges in its pursuit of technological independence. However, instead of relying on foreign technology, the country is shifting its focus towards developing its own semiconductor solutions.

One of the key drivers of China's semiconductor development is the increasing demand for high-end semiconductors in various industries such as AI, cloud, and server applications. As a result, the country is investing heavily in the development of next-generation semiconductors, including those based on the RISC-V architecture.

In addition to investing in R&D, China is also focusing on talent development and education to create a skilled workforce in the semiconductor industry. The country is investing in universities and research institutions to develop expertise in semiconductor design, manufacture, and open-source collaboration.

However, as China continues to develop its semiconductor capabilities, it must also address the risks associated with the widespread adoption of open-source platforms. While open-source technologies offer numerous benefits, they also introduce potential vulnerabilities that can compromise national security and intellectual property. Therefore, China must implement robust security measures to protect its interests and safeguard its technological advancements.

Postlight Reader

deepseek 1 pg summary
China’s RISC-V Revolution: Breaking Free from Silicon Dependence

China is aggressively pursuing technological independence through RISC-V, an open-source chip architecture, in response to U.S. sanctions that restrict access to advanced semiconductors. By leveraging RISC-V’s sanction-proof, customizable design, China aims to bypass Western-controlled architectures like ARM and x86, reshaping global tech power dynamics.

Key Strategic Moves

Government Backing: Coordinated policies across ministries and regional hubs (e.g., Shanghai, Hong Kong) prioritize RISC-V adoption. The goal: a self-sufficient semiconductor ecosystem by 2030.
Corporate Giants Lead: Alibaba plans to invest $52 billion in AI/cloud infrastructure, while its XuanTie RISC-V chips have shipped 4 billion+ units. Huawei, Tencent, and CAS are driving high-performance innovations like the XiangShan processor, targeting speeds rivaling ARM’s Neoverse by 2025.
Breakthrough Technologies: Cutting-edge 2D materials (e.g., 1nm-thick Lingyu CPU) and AI-optimized designs position China at the forefront of post-silicon R&D.

Global Disruption Ahead

Market Growth: RISC-V shipments in China already account for 50% of global volumes. By 2030, 17 billion RISC-V chips (25% market share) are projected worldwide, driven by AI, EVs, and IoT demand.
Ecosystem Influence: Chinese entities hold 50% of premier seats in RISC-V International, enabling them to steer global standards. Annual summits in Hangzhou rival Western tech conferences in scale.

Challenges and Risks

Talent Gaps: China faces a shortage of 300,000 semiconductor engineers by 2025.
Security Scrutiny: The U.S. is reviewing RISC-V’s risks; Google removed RISC-V support from Android, complicating smartphone adoption.
Technical Hurdles: High-performance chip development remains resource-intensive, requiring breakthroughs in fabrication and design.

Why It Matters

China’s RISC-V strategy is more than a technological pivot—it’s a geopolitical masterstroke. By decoupling from Western IP and fostering open-source collaboration, China is poised to challenge decades of U.S. tech dominance. For global stakeholders, this shift demands adaptation: Western firms must engage with RISC-V to retain influence, while policymakers grapple with balancing innovation and security.

In short, RISC-V is rewriting the rules of the semiconductor game, and China is holding the pen.

China's RISC-V Strategy and its Implications Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) design

China’s RISC-V Strategy: Reshaping the Global Semiconductor Landscape

Executive Summary

1. Introduction: Geopolitical Context and Strategic Imperatives

2. Key Findings

2.1 Strategic Importance of RISC-V

2.2 Domestic Innovation and Investment

2.3 Global Market Disruption

2.4 Security and Scrutiny

3. Analysis

3.1 RISC-V’s Technical Advantages

3.2 Competitive Landscape

3.3 Ecosystem Development

4. Strategic Implications

4.1 For China

4.2 For the U.S. and Allies

4.3 For Corporations

5. Challenges and Risks

6. Recommendations

6.1 For China

6.2 For Western Policymakers

6.3 For Global Corporations

7. Conclusion

China all in on RISC-V open-source chip design

By Scott Foster|Mar. 9th, 2025

China's open-source RISC-V processor project pledges 2025 delivery with ambitious performance targets

China firm develops one-nanometer thick RISC-V chip with 2D materials

Key Strategic Moves

Global Disruption Ahead

Challenges and Risks

Why It Matters

China's RISC-V Strategy and its Implications
Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) design