As a representative of the global open-source instruction set architecture, RISC-V’s influence is permeating from the embedded field to data centers, AI, automotive electronics, and other scenarios, with 2025 being a key node for its ecosystem explosion. On July 17, the fifth RISC-V China Summit kicked off at the Zhangjiang Science Hall in Shanghai.
At the main forum, RISC-V International Foundation CEO Andrea Gallo shared the latest progress of RISC-V in technological innovation, industry expansion, and ecosystem construction under the theme “From Instruction Set Architecture to Industrial Implementation: Accelerating Technological Processes and Promoting RISC-V Applications in 2025,” and outlined its development vision for the next decade.
RISC-V International Foundation CEO Andrea Gallo
Gallo first emphasized that RISC-V, as a global open standard, is reshaping the underlying logic of computing technology. He cited classic standards such as USB and Internet protocols, pointing out that RISC-V provides a fertile ground for global developers to innovate freely with its zero licensing fees and no regional restrictions. “Whether you are in Silicon Valley, Europe, or Asia, you can design your own products based on RISC-V.” This openness not only lowers the technical threshold but also accelerates RISC-V’s penetration across multiple industries.
Industry applications are flourishing, with a penetration rate expected to reach 25.7% by 2031.
According to SHD Group’s forecast, the shipment of RISC-V-enabled System on Chips (SoCs) will exceed 20 billion units by 2031, with a market penetration rate rising to 25.7%. Gallo further broke down the growth potential in various segments: consumer electronics account for 39%, computing 33%, automotive 31%, data centers 28%, industrial applications 27%, and networking 26%. Behind this data is RISC-V’s deep layout in multiple vertical industries.
In the automotive sector, Infineon has launched the AURIX automotive microcontroller series based on RISC-V, incorporating it into its mature automotive brand; Nuclei’s NA900 has become the world’s first RISC-V CPU IP to receive ISO 26262 ASIL-D certification, supporting dual-core lockstep mode, and has been applied in autonomous driving domain controllers and engine control; Great Wall Motors has released the automotive-grade Zijing M100 RISC-V MCU, competing with the Arm Cortex-R5. The foundation has established a special interest group (SIG) for automotive to promote standardization and ecosystem collaboration.
In data centers, the Xiangshan processor’s third-generation product supports the RVA23 standard, achieving a SPECint2006 Int score of 15 points/GHz and peak performance of 17.3 points/GHz, leading in performance among global open-source RISC-V processor cores; Rivos has partnered with Canonical to launch a scalable RISC-V data center solution, with Fedora data center now online with Koji instances.
In artificial intelligence, NVIDIA shipped over 1 billion RISC-V processors in 2024; Andes Technology showcased its RISC-V IP in spherical image processors and Meta’s AI accelerators; and Chipone provided embedded GPU, AI, and ISP solutions for RISC-V processors.
In space exploration, Sweden held a RISC-V space seminar, with ESA and NASA adopting RISC-V processors, Frontgrade Gaisler launched the GRAIN series of neuromorphic AI chips, and BAE Systems utilized SiFive RISC-V to develop radiation-hardened chips, demonstrating RISC-V’s reliability advantages in extreme environments.
In high-performance computing, institutions such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Center in Europe and OpenShip have received €240 million in funding to promote the implementation of RISC-V in HPC. Gallo stated that the foundation will continue to focus on this direction to assist in upgrading global computing capabilities.
Developer ecosystem and talent cultivation: Building an open collaborative network
Gallo emphasized that the success of RISC-V relies on the support of the developer community. To optimize the development experience, the foundation released the RVA23 configuration specification, integrating key technologies such as Hypervisor and vector computing, providing a safer and more efficient development platform, and defining mandatory and optional features to support large applications and system software ecosystems.
In 2024, the foundation has distributed 280 sets of RISC-V development boards to global developers, covering scenarios from embedded systems to data centers; in terms of software ecosystem, the official Yocto image provides long-term support (LTS), Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 developer preview and Canonical Ubuntu have adapted to RISC-V, and openEuler 24.03 LTS achieves kernel unification, with performance on par with x86 and Arm. In addition, the foundation has launched multiple online courses covering core content such as CPU architecture and toolchain optimization.
“Including myself, team members have completed the RISC-V CPU certification course, and I encourage all software engineers to actively participate,” Gallo called for more developers to join the open-source community to improve toolchain and programming language support.
On the collaboration front, the foundation is deepening cooperation with institutions such as RISE in areas like compiler and operating system adaptation. The upgrade of Yocto project membership levels will further promote the deployment of RISC-V in complex systems such as automotive. Currently, mainstream operating systems like Red Hat and openEuler have provided RISC-V support, laying the foundation for cross-platform development.
Global membership expansion, welcoming the 15th anniversary milestone
The foundation has recently welcomed new members from several telecom operators and automotive manufacturers, promoting toolchain, compiler, and OS adaptation. Gallo also particularly acknowledged the contributions of the Chinese ecosystem, with Chinese members holding chair or vice-chair positions in technical working groups, leading the formulation of core specifications such as Memory Tagging and SIMD extensions, showcasing China’s leadership in the global open-source ecosystem.
2025 marks the 15th anniversary of RISC-V, and the foundation will update its official website logo, reflecting on the growth journey of the open-source instruction set. Gallo stated, “RISC-V is not only an innovator of technical standards but also a model of global open collaboration. We look forward to working with partners to outline a blueprint for the future, allowing technology to truly serve the sustainable development of human society.”
This summit gathered top experts, entrepreneurs, and developers from around the world, becoming an important milestone for the RISC-V ecosystem. Gallo’s speech not only revealed the potential of RISC-V in industry applications but also conveyed the catalytic role of open standards in technological innovation. As the ecosystem continues to improve, RISC-V is moving from “possibility” to “inevitability,” injecting new vitality into the future of global computing technology.
