The EU uses RISC-V to seek chip sovereignty
Having experienced events such as Brexit and SoftBank's acquisition of Arm, the European Union (EU) is increasingly feeling the crisis of "no longer having its own processors." The EU is heavily investing in projects aimed at achieving semiconductor chip independence by leveraging the RISC-V architecture. These efforts are led by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), a pioneer in RISC-V technology development.
EU leaders have recently launched several initiatives to promote the development of RISC-V-based chips. This is in response to concerns about member states' reliance on foreign companies in semiconductor development and manufacturing. In recent years, the global semiconductor shortage has exacerbated these concerns, disrupting supply chains and highlighting the importance of semiconductor sovereignty.
RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture, not owned by any company. This makes it an attractive choice for the EU, offering great flexibility and security.
BSC is one of Europe's leading research centers, playing a crucial role in the development of RISC-V-based chips.
EE Times interviewed BSC Director Mateo Valero and Chief Research Engineer Teresa Cervero to learn more about the European semiconductor initiative and BSC's role.
BSC leads several RISC-V projects, including the European Processor Initiative (EPI) and its spin-off project OpenChip. EPI is a €70 million project aimed at developing a new generation of high-performance RISC-V processors. OpenChip is a company dedicated to commercializing BSC's RISC-V technology.
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BSC has begun producing a series of CPUs called "Lagarto" semiconductor chips, with the first tape-out of the 65nm generation in May 2019. Valero stated: "We are currently developing the fourth generation of Lagarto cores, with the goal of adopting 7-nanometer and smaller processes in the near future."BSC is also collaborating with other European companies and research institutions to develop a complete RISC-V ecosystem, including software tools, compilers, operating systems, and more. "These initiatives aim to reduce Europe's dependence on American and Asian semiconductor manufacturers," says Valero. The lack of robustness in Europe's semiconductor industry is a major security vulnerability, leading to Europe's reliance on foreign suppliers for critical technologies. It is an open-source ISA (Instruction Set Architecture) that does not belong to any single company. This makes it an attractive choice for the EU, as it offers great flexibility and security.
"Complete independence in the semiconductor ecosystem is unrealistic," says Teresa Cervero, who is dedicated to the European RISC-V initiative at BSC and provides a balanced perspective. She agrees with the notion that semiconductor sovereignty is important for European security and economic interests.
Cervero points out that RISC-V is an ideal platform for achieving semiconductor sovereignty because it is open-source and royalty-free. He acknowledges Europe's strengths in knowledge and design, but they should not harbor unrealistic expectations of complete independence, which highlights the complexity of the semiconductor industry ecosystem.
Cervero adds: "Europe has a strong knowledge base and the potential to design and develop solutions. Public and private institutions are building infrastructure (clean rooms) to strengthen the manufacturing phase." "In the medium term, we will need not only financial investment but also human resources to take advantage of this facility."
BSC initially sought to use Arm-based processors for supercomputers. The company also utilized semiconductor chips from Samsung Electronics' Galaxy smartphones. Valero says: "We take semiconductor chips from smartphones and connect thousands of them."
Will RISC-V save the world?
Valero says: "We know that after Brexit and SoftBank's acquisition of Arm, the EU faces a problem in that it no longer has its own processor." RISC-V opens up possibilities for Europe or any company anywhere. Processors are made all over the world, instead of being decided by the United States, Europe, or China. "This is because it is a global instruction set."
In 2019, Valero persuaded the European Commission (EC) to help begin manufacturing RISC-V semiconductor chips for supercomputers.Valero stated: "EPI is an industrial project involving three European companies, one of which is OpenChip, a spin-off of BSC. We hope that OpenChip, as an independent company, can continue all that we have been doing at BSC for many years and provide support. By committing to these developments, we will achieve a competitive edge over NVIDIA. In the future, we aim to develop a highly competitive semiconductor chip, and our grand goal is to install RISC-V-based chips in MareNostrum 6 (Spain's supercomputer) within six years."
Cervero pointed out that Gaiser, Esperanto Technologies, Semidynamics, and Codasip are European companies offering RISC-V products. These companies focus on processors and accelerators, rather than SoCs (Systems on a Chip) or platforms that serve as the final solution.
Furthermore, Cervero said, "Europe lacks RISC-V-related entrepreneurship, with fewer startups and small businesses offering services, products, and solutions to the market. Or it may be because it is not very attractive."
Cervero warned against having unrealistic expectations of "full sovereignty" and called for strategic cooperation to navigate the complex semiconductor industry. "Not only for Europe, but for any region, it is very difficult to have sovereignty and independence in the semiconductor industry. Various factors are intertwined, such as materials, precision machinery, and knowledge. Currently, major semiconductor manufacturers are betting on RISC-V, we are investing, but the results are not yet public."
Despite these challenges, the European Union continues to move towards a leadership position in the field of RISC-V chips. BSC plays a leading role in these efforts, and its work will help Europe become a leader in RISC-V technology development.
*Disclaimer: This article is the original creation of the author. The content of the article represents their personal views, and our reposting is solely for sharing and discussion, not an endorsement or agreement. If you have any objections, please contact the backend.
Having experienced events such as Brexit and SoftBank's acquisition of Arm, the European Union (EU) is increasingly feeling the crisis of "no longer having its own processors." The EU is heavily investing in projects aimed at achieving semiconductor chip independence by leveraging the RISC-V architecture. These efforts are led by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), a pioneer in RISC-V technology development.
EU leaders have recently launched several initiatives to promote the development of RISC-V-based chips. This is in response to concerns about member states' reliance on foreign companies in semiconductor development and manufacturing. In recent years, the global semiconductor shortage has exacerbated these concerns, disrupting supply chains and highlighting the importance of semiconductor sovereignty.
RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture, not owned by any company. This makes it an attractive choice for the EU, offering great flexibility and security.
BSC is one of Europe's leading research centers, playing a crucial role in the development of RISC-V-based chips.
EE Times interviewed BSC Director Mateo Valero and Chief Research Engineer Teresa Cervero to learn more about the European semiconductor initiative and BSC's role.
BSC leads several RISC-V projects, including the European Processor Initiative (EPI) and its spin-off project OpenChip. EPI is a €70 million project aimed at developing a new generation of high-performance RISC-V processors. OpenChip is a company dedicated to commercializing BSC's RISC-V technology.
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BSC has begun producing a series of CPUs called "Lagarto" semiconductor chips, with the first tape-out of the 65nm generation in May 2019. Valero stated: "We are currently developing the fourth generation of Lagarto cores, with the goal of adopting 7-nanometer and smaller processes in the near future."BSC is also collaborating with other European companies and research institutions to develop a complete RISC-V ecosystem, including software tools, compilers, operating systems, and more. "These initiatives aim to reduce Europe's dependence on American and Asian semiconductor manufacturers," says Valero. The lack of robustness in Europe's semiconductor industry is a major security vulnerability, leading to Europe's reliance on foreign suppliers for critical technologies. It is an open-source ISA (Instruction Set Architecture) that does not belong to any single company. This makes it an attractive choice for the EU, as it offers great flexibility and security.
"Complete independence in the semiconductor ecosystem is unrealistic," says Teresa Cervero, who is dedicated to the European RISC-V initiative at BSC and provides a balanced perspective. She agrees with the notion that semiconductor sovereignty is important for European security and economic interests.
Cervero points out that RISC-V is an ideal platform for achieving semiconductor sovereignty because it is open-source and royalty-free. He acknowledges Europe's strengths in knowledge and design, but they should not harbor unrealistic expectations of complete independence, which highlights the complexity of the semiconductor industry ecosystem.
Cervero adds: "Europe has a strong knowledge base and the potential to design and develop solutions. Public and private institutions are building infrastructure (clean rooms) to strengthen the manufacturing phase." "In the medium term, we will need not only financial investment but also human resources to take advantage of this facility."
BSC initially sought to use Arm-based processors for supercomputers. The company also utilized semiconductor chips from Samsung Electronics' Galaxy smartphones. Valero says: "We take semiconductor chips from smartphones and connect thousands of them."
Will RISC-V save the world?
Valero says: "We know that after Brexit and SoftBank's acquisition of Arm, the EU faces a problem in that it no longer has its own processor." RISC-V opens up possibilities for Europe or any company anywhere. Processors are made all over the world, instead of being decided by the United States, Europe, or China. "This is because it is a global instruction set."
In 2019, Valero persuaded the European Commission (EC) to help begin manufacturing RISC-V semiconductor chips for supercomputers.Valero stated: "EPI is an industrial project involving three European companies, one of which is OpenChip, a spin-off of BSC. We hope that OpenChip, as an independent company, can continue all that we have been doing at BSC for many years and provide support. By committing to these developments, we will achieve a competitive edge over NVIDIA. In the future, we aim to develop a highly competitive semiconductor chip, and our grand goal is to install RISC-V-based chips in MareNostrum 6 (Spain's supercomputer) within six years."
Cervero pointed out that Gaiser, Esperanto Technologies, Semidynamics, and Codasip are European companies offering RISC-V products. These companies focus on processors and accelerators, rather than SoCs (Systems on a Chip) or platforms that serve as the final solution.
Furthermore, Cervero said, "Europe lacks RISC-V-related entrepreneurship, with fewer startups and small businesses offering services, products, and solutions to the market. Or it may be because it is not very attractive."
Cervero warned against having unrealistic expectations of "full sovereignty" and called for strategic cooperation to navigate the complex semiconductor industry. "Not only for Europe, but for any region, it is very difficult to have sovereignty and independence in the semiconductor industry. Various factors are intertwined, such as materials, precision machinery, and knowledge. Currently, major semiconductor manufacturers are betting on RISC-V, we are investing, but the results are not yet public."
Despite these challenges, the European Union continues to move towards a leadership position in the field of RISC-V chips. BSC plays a leading role in these efforts, and its work will help Europe become a leader in RISC-V technology development.
*Disclaimer: This article is the original creation of the author. The content of the article represents their personal views, and our reposting is solely for sharing and discussion, not an endorsement or agreement. If you have any objections, please contact the backend.